Terra, A Noun Meaning Chaos
by SirenMist
Summary: A series of Terra drabbles starting with when Terra's young, all the way until after Sora saves Terra, Ven, and Aqua. Slight Terrqua. 1. Terra-ble — An adjective used to describe an event that begins with Terra and often times ends in mass destruction.
1. Terrable

**Okay, a new story! Hope this one comes out okay!**

**I've been so busy lately, but I just had to write this. I'm obsessed with these drabbles.**

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1.) Terra-ble — An adjective used to describe an event that begins with Terra and often times ends in mass destruction.

It was one of those days. Everyone's experienced it every now and then, that day when all you want to do is roll over and sleep, but the annoying little ray of sunshine is blinding the ever-loving crap out of you from where it happened to find a filter in your blinds, and your room has reached has probably reached the uncomfortable temperature of at least ninety degrees. Oh, and your air conditioning unit has probably gone out, too, just to add to the utter hell you're in.

Well, today was one of those days, Terra decided as he tried in vain to cover his head in his pillow and block out the over-exposed light beaming through his window. He flopped over on his bed, groaning in frustration at the sweat drenched sheets beneath him. He was never one for taking showers, unless Master Eraqus reminded him to do so. But hey, he was only nine. Nine year old boys were meant to do two things: sleep and play video games.

A knock on his bedroom door added to his growing irritation. Exasperated, Terra flung himself from his bed and stormed toward his door. Throwing it open, Terra cried, "What?"

A blue haired girl flinched, the excited look on her face replaced with a look of apprehension. Timidly, she stepped back and hid behind Terra's master's leg.

Master Eraqus threw Terra a scolding expression. "Terra, that is no way to address anyone. Now, get ready and meet me downstairs. I would like you to meet someone."

Terra glanced at the young girl who stood shyly behind Master Eraqus. Terra was no genius, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that that 'someone' had to be her.

Terra answered by way of a shrug and then shut the door. He grabbed a pair of clothes and began to change. Just as he was preparing to squeeze into a shirt, he paused. Should he take a bath? He hadn't cared to before when company came over, so why should he know?

He knew why, but he refused to acknowledge it. Terra simply would not admit that he found the new little blue haired girl cute. And he would never admit that he wanted to impress her. Ever.

As if to prove this to himself, he refused to give taking a bath a second thought and simply changed his clothes. He even went so far as to not brush his hair.

"Eh," Terra said, glancing in the mirror. He usually wouldn't show up in front of company looking so careless, but now he was determined to prove that he just didn't care.

Terra thundered down the stairs and arrived in the kitchen. Master Eraqus glanced up from where he was scrambling eggs and gave Terra a once over.

"Terra," Master Eraqus began, a slight edge in his voice that hinted to Terra that he should've at least done something with his hair.

"What's up, Master E?" Terra replied, trying to sound cool and easy around the new girl. All he achieved was another condescending glare from his master.

"Master Eraqus," the man corrected. "Did you sleep well, son?"

Terra nodded, catching the apple that Master Eraqus tossed to him. Eraqus winked, and Terra smiled.

"Terra, I'd like you to meet Aqua," Eraqus addressed, motioning toward the silent girl seated at the breakfast table. Previously, she had been watching Terra and Eraqus chat, feeling a slight loneliness in her stomach. She wished she could have what this boy and his master had.

Terra gave a slight wave at the girl, but no smile accompanied it. Aqua's smile faltered, her shoulders slumping. Master Eraqus caught the subtle flicker of sadness, and turned to Terra.

"Go on, Terra, introduce yourself." Terra glared at Eraqus, his eyebrows slanted.

Huffing, Terra approached the blue haired girl. "Hi. I'm Terra. Nice to meet you, yada yada yada."

Aqua lifted her head, but she wouldn't meet Terra's eyes. "Hi. I'm Aqua."

Terra frowned slightly, not meaning to upset her. He was only trying to appear nonchalant. Apparently, all he did was make her feel unwelcome.

"So, Aqua, you like eggs?" Terra began, trying to be couth now. He desperately wanted her to smile. That look on her face was making him feel guilty. And Terra didn't do guilt.

Aqua met Terra's cobalt eyes and gave a slight smile. "Yeah," she answered softly.

Terra grinned. "Good, cause the Master's eggs are the best!"

Terra grabbed Aqua's hand and pulled her from her seat, taking her by surprise.

"Where are we going?" Aqua asked, bewildered.

"To see the castle, duh!" Terra replied.

Master Eraqus watched them disappear from the kitchen. Smiling to himself, he whispered, "Well, that went better than I expected. Just wait until I Terra the real reason Aqua's here."

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"What is this place called, anyways?" Aqua asked, sitting cross-legged in a patch of daisies. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and watched a bee buzz by.

"The Land of Departure," Terra answered, pulling at a blade of grass. Truth be told, this Aqua girl was starting to grow on him. He'd spent the better half of thirty minutes out in the pasture with her while waiting for breakfast to finish cooking.

"It sounds whimsical!" Aqua breathed, clapping her hands together. Terra glanced over at her.

"The hell does that mean?"

"AAAWWWW! You said a bad word!" Aqua cried, pointing an accusing finger at the brunette. Immediately, Terra flushed white.

"No uh! I did not! You liar!"

Aqua gasped. "Did you just call me a liar? I AM NOT A LIAR! Take that back!"

Terra stuck his tongue out at her. "You're a liar and a baby!"

Aqua paused, her lip trembling. "You're mean!"

Terra grinned and flicked her in the face. Abruptly, Aqua burst into tears.

Sobbing, she yelled, "I don't like you! I- I want to go- go home!"

Terra rolled his eyes. Was she really crying? How old was she anyways?

"Yeah, well, I don't like you either. You just showed up here where nobody wants you!"

Terra paused, staring at a bumble bee that landed on a pink flower. He thought over what he had said, and realized that it was very harsh of him. He couldn't look at her face, for fear of seeing what he already knew was there.

"…No one ever wants me."

Terra jerked his head up to look at Aqua. Her face was red and tear streaked, but more than that, there was a look of complete loneliness and rejection on her face. He felt a pang in his heart.

"What do you mean?" Terra ventured, moving toward her.

Aqua met his eyes, her lip trembling again. "My mommy said I was a mistake. She said she had an accident, and my daddy was a bad man. She said I'm a bad child, too. She left me a year ago. On my birthday, she promised to take me on a picnic to a waterfall, because I love water and flowers. On our way there, I said I had to go potty, so she stopped a gas station. When I came back, her car was gone. She left the picnic basket and my birthday present. I never saw her again."

Terra pondered over her words, wondering how Aqua's mother could be so cruel. He would have never abandoned her. Gazing at the little blue haired girl with that lost look in her eyes, he vowed that he'd never leave her, and he'd never let her be lonely.

Terra took her hand and forced her to look into his eyes. "Aqua, I'll never leave you."

The little blue haired girl gazed into the brunettes eyes with the happiest look Terra had seen on her face yet. She smiled and laced her fingers through his. "Promise?"

"Promise. And I'm sorry I called you a baby."

"And a liar."

"You did lie."

"NO! You said hell!"

"Now you said it, too! That means you're as guilty as me!"

"You are mean, Terra!"

"Well, you're a girl!"

"That's lame!"

"Your mom's lame!" Terra froze after that comment, regretting it as soon as it slipped past his lips. Aqua burst into tears again.

_Hell! Just when we were getting to be friends! Oh no, I just said hell again! Crap! Oh no, I just said crap!_

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**Okay, short chapter, but it is a drabble. I decided to start with when they're young, and skip around through their adolescent years, then to Ven's arrival, then to the time in the game, then to after they've been saved by Sora.**

**Whadaya think?**


	2. Terradactyl

**Okay, here's the new chapter! Thank you, MeNerf, for being the first to review~**

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2.) Terra- dactyl – A noun. A Terradactyl is a brunette child with an overactive imagination that tends to get him in trouble.

"What are you doing?" the blue haired child asked her playmate. Today would be the seventh time Master Eraqus had brought her to the Land of Departure, Terra decided. Sighing, he climbed down out of a tree and put his hands on his hips.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Terra replied, sarcasm laced in his sentence. He blew a stray lock of brown hair out of his eyes and plopped onto the soft grass in the field beyond the castle.

"Being stupid," Aqua replied lamely. She sat down next to Terra and picked a flower.

"It's not stupid," Terra replied. "I'm playing pretend."

Aqua looked up at him. "What's that?"

Terra's jaw dropped. "You're an eight year old, and you don't know what pretend is?"

Aqua shrugged. "My mom would hit me when I played pretend. She said it was childish and it added to her migraines. I guess I might've played pretend once, but I stopped. I guess I forgot how to play."

Terra watched his playmate with a look of pity. Suddenly, he jumped up and offered Aqua his hand. She stared at him, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, the other hesitant to accept Terra's offer.

"What?" Aqua asked him. Terra huffed.

"Come on, I'm gonna teach you how to be a kid!" Aqua stared at Terra like he had a third eye. She shook her head at him.

"What?" Terra asked. "Why don't you want to play?"

Aqua lowered her gaze to her crossed legs, not meeting Terra's eyes. "Because pretend is a bad game. I don't want to get in trouble. What is Master Eraqus yells at me? I don't want to disappoint him. What if he beats me like Mom did?"

Terra frowned and knelt next to his friend. Gingerly, he lifted her chin. "Aqua, you're safe here. Master Eraqus doesn't care if you have fun. Why do you think he lets you come here so often? And Master would never hurt you, Aqua. He cares about you just as much as he cares about me. Do you think he'd hit me?"

Aqua shook her head.

"Well, you're right, Aqua. He wouldn't, and he wouldn't hit you either." Terra finished his speech and nodded to his hand. "Come on, Blue, we're gonna go have some fun!"

Aqua smiled and accepted his hand. Right before she took off running, she reached over and pecked Terra on the cheek. Giggling, she ran away through the tall grass full of daisies and bees, leaving a stunned Terra. He rubbed his cheek and gagged.

"Ew, cooties!" Terra hissed. But even in his blatant attempt to act disgusted, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

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"So, what do we do first?" Aqua asked, accepting Terra's hand as he lifted her into a tree. Terra leaned back on a gnarled branch high above the ground and placed his hands behind his head.

"I dunno, what do you wanna play?" Terra asked, leaving it up to the nervous girl. Aqua still had reservations about playing a game that used to cause her so much trouble, but Terra was easing her up to it.

"Mmm… How about… Princess!" Terra gagged. No way was he going to play some girly make-believe game. No, he'd rather play dinosaurs, or war!

"Okay," Aqua continued. "How about-"

"Let's play dinosaurs!" Terra intervened. Aqua raised her eyebrows.

"Dinosaurs?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun! I'll be a… pterodactyl! Get it? 'Terra' dactyl?" Terra wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis. As much as Aqua didn't want to go around screaming 'rawr', she didn't want refuse, especially after all the kindness Terra was showing her.

"Okay, and I'll be…"

"You can be an iguanodon. It's the only other dino I can come up with besides a T Rex, and that doesn't fit you."

Aqua smiled. "Okay!"

Terra grinned. "Okay, pretend we're in the jungle, and there's a T Rex chasing us! You have to run on the ground, but I can fly!" Terra jumped from branch to branch, moving from one tree to the next while Aqua ran swiftly in the grass. They both screamed, Terra sounding more like a bird's call and Aqua like lamb. The laughed as they played, pretending to hide from dinosaurs that were chasing them. They grinned when it started raining, Terra crying, "Meteor shower!"

Aqua fell to the ground, holding her aching stomach as she guffawed. Terra grinned, watching his friend have such a good time. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"I'm gonna fly!" Aqua immediately froze, staring at Terra. He stood high up on a branch at the top of an oak tree, smirking down at her. Her face contorted to fear.

"Terra, no! Don't play like that!"

Terra just grinned wider. "Aw, come on! What if I can fly, we just don't know it!" Aqua shook her head viciously.

"No, please don't! I don't like this game anymore!"

Terra squatted down, preparing to take a flying leap, and Aqua begged him to stop, her face awash in salty tears. Terra's feet moved, the branch getting shorter and shorter as he grew nearer the end. His pace quickened, and suddenly he was in the air. Aqua screamed as Terra's weight and gravitational force pulled him towards the ground.

In a moment of pure fear and adrenaline, Aqua shrieked, throwing out her hands. A blinding light erupted from all around Terra and he felt numb.

_Have I hit the ground? _Terra wondered. _Am I dead_? Terra opened his eyes, not realizing he'd had them squeezed shut. He looked around, but was stunned by what he saw. Aqua held her hands out, and a soft glowing light emanated from them in a soft blue hue. Terra was not on the ground, but hovering mere inches from it in a blue bubble. Rain plinked off the sides of it, but did not break the surface. The rain seemed to be soaking into it, creating a barrier around him. He gasped.

"Aqua… This is-"

"Please don't hate me!" the little girl cried. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! Really!"

Terra stared at her, confused. "I don't hate you. Why would I hate you?"

Between choked sobs, Aqua blubbered, "My mommy says I'm a witch! She said that if anyone found out about me, they'd hate me and have me killed!"

Terra gasped, shocked by the girl's words. Aqua lowered the rain bubble and set Terra on the ground, her hands hiding her face in shame.

"Aqua, I could never hate you! You aren't a witch! Aqua, that magic stuff was really cool!"

Aqua glimpsed up from behind her hands. "Really?"

"Yeah! You probably saved my life. That magic… it was beautiful."

Aqua sniffled, wiping her teary face. "Re-really?"

"Yeah!" Terra cried. "I can't even do a simple fire spell! That was extremely advanced!"

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked curiously.

"I train here to be a Keyblade wielder. My forte is strength, but I'm really bad at magic. That magic was the coolest I've ever seen!"

Aqua smiled. "Thanks."

Terra grinned and pulled her hands away from her teary eyes. He wiped some of her stray tears away and ruffled her hair.

"You're pretty cool, you know that?" Terra said, causing Aqua to blush.

"Thanks," she replied, looking at the ground shyly. She glanced up at Terra. "So, what's this Keyblade look like?"

Terra grinned and extended his arm. Immediately, a shower of sparks circled his clenched fist and a weapon appeared, shiny and gold in color and shaped like a key. Aqua gasped, and Terra swelled with pride. That is, until she stretched out her hand.

"I have a Keyblade, too!" Aqua cried, feeling excited to know what the strange thing was now.

Terra's jaw dropped. _No. Freaking. Way. _

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**More Terrqua fluff, with a little bit of drama. What did you think?**


	3. Terracotta

**So here is the new chapter! I probably won't be updating anything anytime soon, cuz I'm going to be really busy, but until then!**

**This chapter and the last chapters mention a lot about Aqua's childhood, but that will be important later on. Does anyone have any guess as to who Aqua's real father is? See if you can figure out in the next couple of chapters ;)**

**There are no hints in this chapter, though. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Kingdom Hearts. I wish it every night when I see the first star in the sky. I wish it when i blow out my candles every year. I wish it when I pick a dandelion. I wish it on eyelashed. Yeah, I wish. **

**Wishes suck.**

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3.) Terracotta – An adjective describing the color of a brunette boy after a long fall down a riverbank.

She knew it was a bad idea. She tried to warn him, too. But no! Terra just had to ignore her intuition and go after the 'gold'. Aqua knew it was only a piece of pyrite. She even told him the nickname of 'Fool's Gold.' But, Terra was a fool after all. A dangerous, adventurous, adorably handsome fool.

Whoa! Handsome? Where did that thought come from? Aqua shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She would not think of her best friend as cute! She would not think of her best friend as cute!

But man, was Terra cute!

"Terra! Terra, come back up here right this instant!" Aqua called, cautiously avoid a bank of slippery rocks as she maneuvered along the river's edge. From far below she heard a chuckle.

"Aw, Blue, stop being a Master Eraqus!" Terra shouted from below where he was jumping from rock to rock in the midst of the river.

Aqua fumed, pulling her skirt down from where it was hiking up in the brambles and brush. Why had she ever listened to a dumb nine year old? The way things were going, she wouldn't even make it to nine! She'd die at the young age of eight, and she'd have nothing to show for it!

But at least she'd die with Terra.

Not that that mattered.

Not that she cared.

Not that she thought of him as anything more than her best friend.

Besides, she was far too young to have a crush on a little boy.

Right?

Aqua groaned inwardly and stepped onto a fallen log, trying to distribute her weight on a slippery rock. The woods surrounding her were dense and green, with the occasional white-ish – yellow sunlight streaking through the treetops.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she reached the bottom of the bank where the shore was. Slipping her shoes off, she dashed towards the water, running into the opposing blue as it enveloped her and chilled her pale skin. She laughed, twirling in the river as she waded. Fish swam by her as she played and danced in the cold liquid, reveling the feel of water all around her. How she loved it so!

Terra knew that, of course. That's why he had decided to make the river the destination of the day. He packed backpack full of food – he originally intended to have a picnic, but decided against it, for fear it would cause Aqua apprehension – and set off to find the flowing expanse of water.

Terra had told Master Eraqus of his plan before Aqua even showed up at The Land of Departure. His master had found it a thoughtful idea on Terra's part and granted him permission to go into the forest. Master Eraqus immediately left to pick the child up, and Terra begged to go with him, not wanting to miss a minute of being with his only friend, but Master Eraqus refused, leaving Terra with dashed hopes. When he asked his master why he was not allowed to go with him to see Aqua, the master simply replied that it was something he had rather not let his young boy see. Terra pouted, wondering what kind of things his poor friend was going through.

When Aqua arrived, Terra leapt up, thanked his master, took Aqua by the hand, and raced for the forest. Aqua didn't even have time to protest, not that she would of.

And now, here they were, sitting at the edge of the river with a lunch made of apples, sandwiches, and Aqua's personal favorite, blueberry cobbler.

Terra stuffed another bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his mouth before asking, "How do you like it?"

Aqua smiled. "It's beautiful here, Terra! I sure wish I lived here…"

Terra gazed at his sandwich miserably. Trying to lighten the mood, he replied, "I meant the cobbler."

Aqua gasped, and then laughed. "Oh, the cobbler's amazing! I've never had food so good!"

Again, Terra stared at his sandwich. The cobbler was store bought, and frankly, Terra thought it was pretty nasty. That just made him feel even worse.

"Aqua, can I ask you a personal question?" Terra ventured. He was afraid of crossing a line or upsetting the young girl, but he had to know what was so horrible that his own master refused to let him see.

Aqua glanced up and nodded slowly, giving Terra a nervous look. Terra rolled an apple around in his hand, not meeting her eyes.

"What's your home life like?"

Aqua pulled her leg up to her body and set her cobbler on the ground. She looked off toward the river and watched the water rush by. The river gurgled and bubbled, and birds softly cried in the distance.

Terra waited so long, that finally he decided it was best to leave it. Just as he was about to change the subject, Aqua whispered, "It's horrible."

Terra jerked his head up to look at the blue haired girl. Her voice was so soft, it was barely audible. Terra leaned forward.

"What do you mean?"

Aqua slowly turned her head to face Terra, and the boy caught a flicker of pain and torment in her eyes. She stood up and moved closer to Terra, seating herself directly next to him.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" she asked.

"What about Master Eraqus?"

Aqua shook her head. "He probably already knows. But, if he doesn't, it's best it stays that way." Terra nodded, and then motioned for her to continue.

"After my mommy left me, a man drove up. He asked if I was lost, and I told him no. He grabbed me and put me in his car, and I screamed really loud. I tried to get away, but he hit me in the head and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was in this really dark place."

Terra jumped in, "Aqua, stop! Before you go on, did he ever hurt you? In any way at all?"

Aqua shook her head, and Terra sighed deeply, relief pouring out of him. "Okay, so then what happened?"

"Then, I got up, but when I looked around, someone grabbed me. It was this lady. She said that she lost her baby, and that I was going to be her new child. After that, the woman kept me locked in my room and she never let me out. She brought me dinner, but it was nothing like the stuff we're eating right now. It was stale beans and old milk. She made me call her mommy, and the man that picked me up I had to call daddy. Sometimes, the man would come and drink. When he got really angry, he'd hit the lady, and then she'd come in and beat me. The man would too, sometimes."

Terra frowned. "You told me he never hurt you."

Aqua shrugged. "Nothing beyond striking me with his fist or a belt."

"That's not nothing," Terra scolded. He picked up Aqua's hand and held it in his own. "Why won't Master Eraqus let me come see you?"

Aqua sighed. "Because we live in the slums. In a part of town where it's not safe to be."

"Especially for a young girl," Terra added, watching a dragonfly land on a cattail. He kicked a stone and pushed his foot around in the dirt a bit. Finally, he said, "I'm going to ask Master Eraqus if you can live with us."

Aqua whipped her head around to look at Terra, her eyes wide and her mouth open. "Why?"

Terra furrowed his brows. "Because I don't like where you live now. And, besides, it'll be fun having you around all the time."

Aqua grinned. "Thank you, Terra. Even if this doesn't work out, thank you for trying."

Terra smiled. "No problem. In the meantime, let's go get some gold!"

"That's pyrite, for the last time!" Aqua called to the running Brunette. Aqua giddily chased after his retreating form and into the river. She climbed up on a rock and spotted the young boy a ways down from her. She moved to go after him, but her foot slid on a particularly slippery rock, and she fell straight into the swiftly moving current. Aqua moved to fight it, but it was too strong. After a great deal of effort, Aqua realized she was nowhere except further downstream. She glanced around for Terra, but couldn't find him. Terrified, she screamed.

Seconds later, a voice rang out from near the bank. "Aqua, where are you!"

Aqua was shoved under water, resurfacing a near minute later. Gasping for air, she screamed, "Terra!"

A splash sounded from near the bank, but she was pulled under the current one more, falling victim to its merciless clutch. She fought to reach the surface, but all around her, blue water pushed her down. Down toward the bottomless deep blue abyss, down until there was no chance of getting out. She watched her last breath bubble up toward the rippling surface, where sunlight was beginning to appear less and less as she moved further down. Closing her eyes, she prayed that Terra had not been swept away.

* * *

"Aqua? Hey, are you okay?" Aqua blinked, slowly opening her eyes. She sat up carefully and spit up water. Someone patted her back and soothed her. Finally, when her racking subsided, she breathed deeply.

"Aqua," Terra asked again, "Are you alright?" Aqua nodded, not trusting her voice enough to try and communicate. Terra pulled a blanket out of his back pack and wrapped it around Aqua's shivering form.

"You scared me back there," Terra admitted, taking a swig from a water bottle. He fished around in his pack again and pulled out a thermos of hot chocolate. He held it out to Aqua, and she gratefully accepted it.

"Scared me, too," Aqua replied, relishing the feel of the scolding liquid in her freezing throat. Thankfully, the temperature outside was well in the nineties, and Aqua was drying off quickly.

"You saved me," Aqua breathed, holding the steaming mug in her cold fingers. Terra rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, well that makes us even. For the time we played pretend."

Aqua smiled. "I guess it does."

Terra stood up from the ground and shook her drenched hair, wringing his shirt out. He looked up at the sky, deciding it was probably a little after noon. "We should get back."

Aqua stood up and nodded. Terra picked up his back pack and moved toward the overgrown forest. Ducking under branches, the children made their way toward the path leading out of the forest. Suddenly, Terra froze.

He spun around and went tearing through the forest back to where the river was, calling, "I forgot my gold!"

Aqua groaned, shouting, "Fool's Gold, Terra!"

Still, the young boy clambered around the rocks, trying to reach a shiny piece of rock. He leaned toward it, his fingertips brushing the mineral, and then the rock he was standing on broke loose from the bank. He tumbled downward, skinning his hands and knees on jagged stones as he fell. Mud caked him while he slid down the bank, and blood gushed from open wounds, creating to the mess that was Terra. When he hit the ground, there was nothing to distinguish him from the dirt. It was all just one terracotta blob.

"Terra!" Aqua cried, racing to the edge of the bank. She climbed down, and pulled him to the river's edge, using the water to clean him up as best she could. He groaned as she rubbed at his sore cuts and rinsed the mud out of the gash in his knee,

Aqua glared at him. "Terra, how could you do such a stupid thing?"

Terra felt a grin tugging at his lips. "I got the gold!"

Aqua hissed, scrubbing extra hard at a cut. Terra guessed the added pressure was unnecessary. Aqua sighed in frustration and sat back on her heels.

"I'm going to try something, but you have to promise you won't be mad." Terra watched her, confusion on his face. He nodded in agreement, anyway, trusting his friend to take care of him. Aqua extended her hands, and a faint green glow bubbled around them. She lowered her hands to his knee and it immediately healed. He watched in awe.

"Master does that sometimes," Terra stated, examining his freshly healed injuries. Aqua looked away.

"Why won't you tell Master?" Terra asked. "You can wield the Keyblade, and you're amazing with magic!"

"I don't want Master Eraqus to despise me like mother did." Terra frowned again.

"Master won't ever despise you, Blue. He loves you. And he'd be extremely proud to find out that you can wield the Keyblade."

Aqua smiled. "You think so?"

Terra grinned. "I know so. How about we tell Master about it when I ask if you can stay with us?"

Aqua nodded excitedly. "Okay!"

Terra stood up and offered his hand. "Okay, let's go home."

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**Is this the start of a beautiful friendship? o.O**

**Lol, duh. Anyways, what will Master say? I think we already know.**

**Review?**


	4. DeTerrable

**Okay, so here's the new chapter! And just so you know, Aqua's "adoptive parents" aren't ocs. Whether I'm going to reveal who they are or not is still up for debate, seeing as how they won't appear ever again in the story.**

**TearsToScarlet: Thank you so much! It makes me truly happy to know that people enjoy this and that I'm doing something right!**

**Guest: Thank you! I'm definitely continuing this!**

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De-Terra-ble – An adjective. DeTerrable is used to describe a young boy with the ability to negotiate and discourage someone from taking offensive action, especially by making them scared or anxious.

"Master?" Terra asked timidly, peeking over the countertop to watch Eraqus cook dinner. Master Eraqus nodded to the boy, signaling that he had heard him and for him to continue.

Terra moved around the counter hesitantly, stopping when he was standing beside the older man. Cautiously and meekly, he ventured, "Can Aqua live with us?"

Master Eraqus set his paring knife on the cutting board and ceased his mission of cutting carrots. He peered at the boy, deep thought clearly etched on his face. Finally, Eraqus answered, "What brought this about?"

"I- I asked Aqua about where she comes from," Terra admitted. Eraqus crossed his arms and shifted his weight, a sign that he was not pleased, but he expected Terra to finish his story before he would say so.

"When she told me, I felt really bad. She seemed so broken, and I want her to be happy." Terra risked a glance at his master, and was surprised to find a lighthearted smile gracing Eraqus's face. Terra bit his lip in anxiety and hope.

Eraqus waited a moment before replying, taking the liberty to resume cutting up carrots for dinner. He waited until the last three were done before answering, "Yes, Terra. Aqua does not have the most ideal living arrangement. Throughout the time that Aqua has been with us, I have noticed a quite drastic change in her attitude, and a positive one at that. She has quite a lovely disposition, notwithstanding her current state."

Terra blinked, rolling Master's speech around in his head. When he believed that he understood the gist of it, he asked, "So what does that mean, exactly?"

Master's eyes crinkled. "Terra, my boy, I would love for her to stay."

Just as Terra felt his heart swell with joy, Master shot him down. "Unfortunately, that is not for me to decide."

Terra stuck his bottom lip out. "But you know her family won't let her go."

Master Eraqus's eye caught a mischievous glint. "When has that ever stopped me?"

* * *

Terra could not understand how he got himself into the situation. As it were, Eraqus had a wild side. Did anyone ever have the opportunity to find that out? Not often.

Unfortunately, today was not Terra's lucky day.

Terra gazed up at the rickety shack. The place reeked of raw sewage, the concrete path to the door was breaking up as grass grew in, the dilapidated porch was beginning to cave in, and rusty nails stuck out precariously from the steps that lead up to the crumbling porch. The place was so run down, Terra would've thought it condemned and abandoned, used only by the dumbest of criminals.

He couldn't believe his best friend lived there.

Terra gripped his master's hand as he was lead behind the old shack. They fought their way through thick underbrush and overgrown weeds until they found a back entrance. Master Eraqus placed a finger at his lips, motioning for Terra to stay silent. As many dumb things as Terra had done, breaking and entering and committing a kidnapping did not make his list. Until today.

Terra watched silently as Eraqus moved toward the rickety wood door. Terra wondered if this counted as breaking and entering, seeing as the door was already shot to hell. Master slipped inside stealthily, and Terra waited.

Seconds passed to minutes, and minutes ticked by too. Terra began to grow antsy and shifted his weight from foot to foot. After what seemed like an eternity, a shout rang out from inside the house. Aqua!

Terra leapt from his spot and shot into the house, not giving a second thought to the rotted floorboards that sunk beneath his feet. He only stopped when he reached a small room, roughly the size of his own bathroom. There was a pallet of blankets on the floor and a naked bulb on the ceiling, and nothing else. With a sick feeling, Terra recognized this to be Aqua's room.

And there she stood, blankets wrapped around her tiny frame and terrified look on her face. A man stood in the room, a shot gun poised strategically at Eraqus's chest. The master's face was contorted in rage, and the man holding the gun continued to provoke him.

"What are you doing with my daughter?" the man shouted, jabbing the barrel of the gun in Eraqus's chest. Eraqus let out a low growl.

"What are you doing with another man's daughter?" he countered, his eyes narrowed. Terra watched the two shout at each other back and forth, his eyes finally settling on the distraught look on Aqua's face.

"I'm going to give you to the count of three, and if you aren't out of this house, I'm going to blow you to bits!" Aqua's 'father' hissed, his finger pulling slightly on the trigger. Terra glanced at Aqua, and her eyes pleaded with him to do something. Finally, an idea came to him.

"Excuse me, sir," Terra butt in, causing both men to stare at him utter confusion. Continuing, Terra said, "I hate to break it to you, but the place is surrounded. The police know you have kidnapped this little girl here, and if you don't hand her over to Officer Eriq immediately, the police will be forced to break in and search through all of your belongings. Meaning, if you happen to have a stash of drugs, or any other incriminating paraphernalia, you will not only be sentenced for the kidnapping of the girl, but for that as well. Do we need to add to that sentence for the murder of a police officer? Aren't things bad enough? If you hand the girl over now, you will be released of your charges."

Master Eraqus's eyes lit up, and to anyone else he would look the same as he did before. But to Terra, that slight glint shouted his pride in his pupil. Terra's heart swelled.

"Who are you?" the man asked, slight fear in his eyes. Terra had to think fast, wondering why on Earth the police force would send in a kid.

"I'm… I'm the chief negotiator! Most of the force is trigger happy; I only shoot to kill if I have to!" The man looked slightly more worried now, and glanced at Aqua.

"Go!" he shouted at her, grabbing her arm and shoving her towards Terra. As soon as he had a firm grip on her, he took off out of the house, Master Eraqus not far behind.

* * *

Back at the Land of Departure, Terra showed Aqua around her new room. He promised they'd go shopping to furnish it with lots of girly things soon. Master promised to get her anything she wanted.

Aqua hugged her friend and sighed. "Thank you, Terra. I don't think I can ever thank you enough!"

Terra shrugged. "What are friends for?"

Aqua laughed and plopped down on her bed, a huge grin on her face. Terra had been told when she first got her new room that she hadn't slept in a bed since her mother had abandoned her. She was overjoyed by the fact that she now had one and her room was the size of her entire house.

"Terra, Aqua! Dinner's ready!" Master Eraqus called from downstairs. The two raced each other to the kitchen, seating themselves at the round table as Master Eraqus spooned homemade chicken noodle soup into bowls. When they sat down to eat, Terra nudged Aqua's foot from under the table. After she blatantly ignored him, he huffed.

"Master, Aqua has something she'd like to tell you," Terra began, throwing Aqua a pointed look. She lowered her eyes to her soup. No turning back now.

"Yes, Aqua?" Master Eraqus answered, watching his newest addition to the family closely.

"I- I can wield the Keyblade."

"And she's great at magic, too!" Terra added.

Master nodded. "I suspected as much. That is wonderful, Aqua. You should begin training immediately. Terra can help you adjust and teach you a thing or two."

Aqua flicked her eyes to Eraqus's face. "You mean… you aren't angry?"

"Angry? Why would I be?"

"Told you!" Terra cast, his eyes taunting her. "See, Blue, you had nothing to worry about!"

Aqua smiled. "I guess I didn't." _And I guess I didn't realize how much better things are going to be around here._

* * *

**Okay, so this os over now. I don't know, I'll probably do one more child story just to make it a nice number. Odd numbers freak me out unless they're five. It has to be even or end in fivve XD**

**Review?**


	5. Terra You Apart

**I just wanted to clarify: No, I'm not discontinuing. What I meant by only five chapters was that I was only going to do five chapters about their childhood, and then resume the sixth in their adolescent years, cuz I live fives XD**

**Well, here is the fifth - and most certaily not the last - chapter!**

* * *

5.) "Terra- you- apart" — A phrase meaning to have your ass kicked by a nine year old boy.

"Hurry up, Blue! We're going to be late!" Terra checked himself out in the mirror once last time, noting that he looked stunningly handsome for a nine year old boy in his homemade outfit. His dark chocolate hair was swept back with gel into a ponytail, the top part spiking in the back and the rest of his hair down and brushing his shoulders. A piece of hair hung where his bangs should be, effectively crimped. He wore a tan samurai looking outfit comprised of hakama pants, a blue-ish shirt, a white over coat, and steel shoes. Terra even stenciled in scars, a mustache, and a goatee.

Aqua stood at the top of the stairs, hesitant to come down. She glanced at her reflection, hoping with all her might that she looked as beautiful as she felt. She pulled at her skirt, and then descended the stairs demurely, but graceful as a swan. Placing one foot on one step, and then the next, Aqua slid her hand down the banister.

Terra glanced up for just a moment from where he was adjusting his ponytail to catch Aqua waltzing down the staircase. He did a double-take, his mouth opening.

"Wow, Aqua, you look - err – uh – I mean… yeah, you look cool." Terra mentally slapped himself, groaning over his plunder. He tried playing it cool, but his blue haired friend had him tongue tied in her dark, navy-blue ballroom gown, her usually spiky blue hair swept on top of her head in tight ringlet curls. She had light pink blush on her cheeks and pink lip gloss on. A tiara was set in her coiffure, brilliant imitation sapphires set in the crown complimenting her brilliant blue eyes.

"Thanks," Aqua murmured, her eyes on the floor. Terra straightened up and offered Aqua his hand. She glanced up at him and caught on, taking his hand in hers as he, like a perfect gentleman, led her to the door. Master Eraqus met the two at the front entrance, two candy bags in his hand. He handed them to Terra and Aqua and smiled.

"Aqua, you look adorable. And, Terra! What an odd choice of costume!" Terra grinned widely. He swallowed a huge breath, his chest puffing out.

"Do you like it, Master?" Terra asked, trying to drop his voice and sound macho.

Aqua giggled. "Terra, you're dressed up as him. I'm sure he likes it just fine."

Master Eraqus patted Terra's head, and then shooed the two out. But not before making them recite all of their safety rules, emergency regroup spots, and their self defense techniques. Once Eraqus was satisfied, Terra and Aqua left.

* * *

"Trick or treat!" Terra cried, stopping at the first house. Aqua hung back, not accustomed to the thing Terra called Halloween. She and Terra had traveled the Lanes Between to reach the first world where they would be getting candy, a little place called Radiant Gardens. Aqua wasn't sure what to do once they arrived, but Terra told her to follow his lead.

Terra motioned Aqua forward, and timidly she whispered, "Trick or treat. May I have some candy please, sir?"

She heard rather than saw Terra slap his forehead. She suppressed a giggle, knowing that he had not instructed her to be polite, but that was just her way of doing things.

"Give the girl some candy," Terra growled, and Aqua gasped. She grabbed her friend and dragged him off to the side of the house after she was given back her candy bucket.

"Terra!" Aqua scolded. "You can't talk to people like that!"

Terra pouted and crossed his arms firmly, turning his body from the girl. Haughtily, he mumbled, "Fine, be that way. I was only avenging your honor."

Aqua huffed, mimicking Terra's previous movements. "And just what were you avenging me for?"

"That man was smirking at you! He was making fun of your lack of brutality!"

"Brutality!" Aqua cried. "The last thing I want to be is brutal!"

Terra finally turned his head to look at her. Sighing, he whispered, "I know. I'm sorry. But I was only trying to show that I'm not going to let people walk all over you because you're a girl."

Aqua's cheeks flushed red, and she mumbled, "Thank you, but I really don't think that's necessary. You were overreacting a bit, Terra."

Terra nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Anyways, let's go get some candy!"

Terra pulled his blue haired friend to the next house. The porch lights were on, but there was no one actually outside waiting for the children. As he was about to approach the door, the scarecrow sitting on the bench outside the house twitched. Curious, Terra moved toward it.

"BOO!"

"AHHHH!" Terra and Aqua cried in unison, flying back onto the sidewalk. The scarecrow stood up and took its mask of, revealing a young man with long pale golden hair and emerald color eyes . Chuckling, the man picked up a basket of candy and dropped some chocolates into the frightened children's bags.

"Happy Halloween!" the man called to their retreating forms, after they mumbled a quiet, "Thank you."

They were both silent as they moved toward the next house. Finally, Aqua began to giggle, and her giggles turned into laughter, and her laughter turned into hysterics.

"What's so funny?" Terra demanded, hands on his hips.

Aqua recovered enough to choke out, "Looks like you need someone to avenge _your_ honor! You should've seen your face!"

Terra scowled. He stormed off and grumbled, "You were scared, too!"

By the time Aqua managed to catch up to her friend, they were already at the porch of the next house, and Terra was walking towards her, having already gotten his candy. She could tell by the furious glare on his face and the slant of his eyes that he was not in a good mood.

Shrugging, Aqua moved up to the door. "Trick or Treat!"

A man opened the door and held out a candy bar. He lingered a bit longer than most people, thought Aqua as the man dropped a candy bar in her bag. She thanked the man, turning to leave, but the man called after her.

"Little girl, are you all alone out here?" Aqua smiled, thinking about how kind it was for someone to care if she was safe or not.

"Oh no, sir! I'm with my-"

"We need to go," Terra growled, his voice an octave lower and full of venom. He glared daggers at the man and grabbed Aqua's arm, pulling her down the driveway. Even though he was only nine, Aqua thought he looked as dangerous as a full grown adult.

"What the heck was that?" Aqua cried, turning on Terra the moment they were out of ear shot. "Just because you're upset, doesn't mean you can take it out on everyone else! You're overreacting again, Terra, and I'm sick of it!"

Terra refused to meet her eyes and gazed off into the distance. In the looming darkness, the only light that allowed to them to see each other was the eerily flickering streetlamp.

Terra's voice was so quiet, Aqua barely heard him. "Were you even paying attention to the way that man was looking at you?"

Aqua froze. The sound of Terra's voice was neither angry nor defensive. He was simply trying to get her to realize something. "What are you talking about?"

"That man, Aqua," Terra continued. "He was… staring at you. I didn't like it."

"Terra, you're overreacting," Aqua repeated, but Terra's face finally took on a look of annoyance.

"No, Aqua, I'm not!" Terra shouted this, and it caused Aqua to flinch. Lowering his voice, Terra continued, "He had that look on his face. He was eyeing you, and he was checking to see if you were alone or not. He… I don't know what he would've done, but I got a bad feeling about it."

Aqua repeated the scene in her head, and it suddenly dawned on her. Terra was protecting her by dragging her away, and that man was looking at her hungrily.

Terra wasn't expecting it when Aqua threw her arms around him. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "I'm sorry, Terra! Thank you."

Terra returned her hug, squeezing her tightly. "It's okay, just as long as you're safe." Terra did something unexpected, then, something he didn't even realize he was doing until he had pulled away. He kissed his little blue haired friend, but only for an instant, and then immediately he pulled away.

Aqua froze, wondering _Did that really just happen? Did I really just have my first kiss at EIGHT? Ewww, that's kind of weird._

Terra coughed awkwardly, then broke the ice. "Uh… uh… How about we go home?"

Aqua, not wanting to speak, simply nodded. As Terra went to retrieve his glider, Aqua yelped. When he turned around, his face grew murderous.

The same man from earlier had come up behind Aqua and grabbed her. He pressed a cloth under her mouth and nose, but she held her breath.

"HEY!" Terra shouted, rage pouring out in every word. "YOU LET HER GO!"

The man glanced up, and in the eerie streetlight, Terra realized that his eyes were an unnatural shade of gold. "Hey, hey, little boy!"

Terra growled. "Who are you calling little?"

The man cackled, his midnight black hair shining oddly in the light. "Young 'uns, always think they're tougher than they are."

"What do you want with my friend!" Terra demanded.

The man sighed, a grin on his face. "Eh, friend o' mine needs a couple kiddos. Not really sure what he plans on doin' with 'em, but I'm not one to ask. Say, kiddo, you wanna join cornflower here?"

Terra hissed, "No, but do you wanna die!"

The man cackled. "Take your best shot, tough guy. But let me warn you, I never miss when I aim." The man dropped a now unconscious Aqua on the sidewalk and leaned against a streetlamp, not expecting to Terra to do any damage of all.

In a flash, Terra had crossed the street and planted his foot right in the man's face, jerking his head upright. The man flew back and landed on a lawn, rubbing his chin in pain. Terra didn't hesitate, running straight for the man again, his fist colliding with the man's jaw with a sickening CRACK!

Terra successfully wrestled the man to the ground. The man tried to land a few blows on Terra, and it might've worked had he gotten the upper hand. Instead, Terra was the one who had remained dominant, seeing as how the man had underestimated him.

Terra jabbed the man in his right eye, meaning to rip it out of its socket, but he thought better of it, not wanting to actually see the man loose his eyeball. Instead, he opted for reaching down to the man's lower region and yanking hard, his nails tearing through the fabric. The man shot up, howling in pain. Terra slammed his foot down into the assailant's manhood, effectively multiplying the pain that was already evident.

Terra climbed off the man and ran toward his friend, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. He gave one last glance at the howling man, satisfied that he left him red eyed and clutching himself.

Terra grinned as he sped off and into the sky, heading for home.

* * *

When he opened the door, Master Eraqus eyed Aqua carefully, a worried look on his face.

"Terra, tell me what happened at once, and no leaving out details."

Terra never wanted to lie to his master, but he refused to tell him the truth. Instead he said, "Well, Aqua was really tired, and she ended up falling asleep on the way home."

Eraqus nodded, accepting the story. He would never believe that Terra would be one to lie to him. Silly man.

As Terra ascended the stairs, preparing to take Aqua to her room, Master Eraqus stopped him.

"Oh, Terra," Master began.

"Yes?" Terra answered, pausing on the stairs but not facing his master.

"What happened to your candy?"

Terra thought fast, a grin coming to his lips. If he was gonna lie, he might as well lie and get praised for it. "'Tis better to give than to receive!"

As he left the living room, Eraqus smiled, thinking, _What a kind child he is. Already wise beyond his years and willing to sacrifice things to give to others._

Little did Eraqus know that Terra had only an hour ago been jabbing his knee into a man's groin. Yes, 'tis better to give than to receive. At least, in that case it is.

* * *

**Okay, so how did yall like it? Could you tell who the man was? ;) Could you tell who his boss was? Think about it!**

**Oh, and did you catch the slur at the man about Terra jabbing out his eye? **

**Review? :}**


	6. Terragon

**Okay, so here is the new chapter. Although it might appear that their dates ar OCs, they are not. I chose Traverse Town because you can talk to other people there. Terra's date is the girl from outside the cafe in KH2, she tells you about Traverse Town and how it is the place where lost people go, yada yada yada.**

**Aqua's date is some guy from Traverse Town who's just kinda there, you know? Anyways, this has a little OOCness in the Aqua department, but it was kind of crucial to the plot. Oh well, enjoy!**

* * *

6.) Terra-gon — A noun. Terragon is an ingredient most often used in the recipe of disaster. One of the most popular recipes featuring Terragon is Love Potion, often accompanied with the ingredients of one hot brunette girl, one jealous blue haired girl, and one very bad date. Terragon usually ends up flustered by the end, and disappears for a while.

The night spread like a diamond studded blanket across the sky, millions of twinkling lights reigning in the Heavens. A warm breeze swept through the lush green trees, warm and chilly at the same time. The perfect night, Terra decided.

"All dressed up and nowhere to go?" came a voice from behind the teen. He swirled around to find his life long friend, Aqua, curled up with a book of magic on the couch. Her long legs were draped over the arm nearest Terra, and he desperately tried to avoid staring. Hey, he wasn't going to deny the fact that he'd had a crush on Aqua since they first met.

"Actually, I am going somewhere," Terra replied, glancing out the window and into the night once more. He was hesitant to leave yet, afraid of being to early.

Aqua sat up now, setting her book on the coffee table next to her. "Oh? Pray tell."

Terra rubbed the back of his head nervously, then immediately pulled away, afraid of ruining his hair that he had worked hours on. "Uh, yeah. I actually have… Well, you see… I'm kinda-"

"He has a date tonight," finished Master Eraqus from across the room, scaring the crap out of both of them. Aqua narrowed her eyes.

"A date, huh? With whom?" If looks could kill, thought Terra, he'd be dead now for sure.

"With this girl I met in Traverse Town. I met her outside the tavern."

That only seemed to provoke Aqua further. "Oh, so she's a tavern wench."

It was Terra's turn to be annoyed. "Wow, Aqua. You don't even know her!"

"And you do?"

"I asked her on a date didn't I?"

"I wouldn't judge her at all by that! Seems to support my theory rather well, actually."

"Are you calling me a player?"

"I'm calling you a womanizer!"

"Well, you're a girl!"

"That's what you called me the first time we fought, and I stick by that it's lame!"

"You remember that? Nerd! Look at you, you're so obsessed with me that you remember all of our conversations!"

"Do not!" "Yeah, I bet you wish you were a tavern wench, just so you could get in my-"

"ENOUGH!" Master Eraqus roared. Both teens froze, their eyes still narrowed and their faces set in scowls. "I will not tolerate this kind of childish behavior. Aqua, apologize for calling Terra's date an obscene and offensive term. Terra, apologize for telling Aqua that she wanted to get - er - apologize for what you were going to tell her."

Aqua lowered her head, a shamed look on her face. "I'm sorry for calling your date a wench."

Terra smirked, not able to resist saying, "And I'm sorry that you can't help but want to jump me."

Aqua gasped, her face beat red. She would've glared at Terra, but she couldn't get the look of embarrassment off of her face. Terra grinned.

"TERRA!" Master boomed again. "Apologize right this instant or I'm grounding you from your date."

"I'm sorry, Aqua," Terra finally managed. He glanced at his watch, his face suddenly contorting to a look of alarm, realizing that he was late. He threw open the front door and tore out of the castle, calling his glider.

Aqua watched him disappear with a sigh of longing. He had looked so handsome with his hair combed neatly, faded jeans, and leather jacket. She wished that he'd dress like that around her.

"Aqua," Master spoke. The blue haired girl looked up, her sapphire eyes meeting his own chocolate ones. "You don't have to sit around tonight. You can dress up, go out for a night on the town, maybe go to dinner at the tavern and see that new movie."

Eraqus winked at her, and she soon caught on. He was encouraging her to go after Terra. He'd even included all of Terra's plans.

Smirking, Aqua replied, "You know, Master, I might just do that."

* * *

Aqua was swimming in clothes by the time she had her outfit perfected. She didn't want to look to formal; that would give it away. Instead, she opted for a shimmering navy blue top and a plaid micro mini. The skirt was red and blue, a good contrast but a perfect match. She set a chunky black leather belt above the micro, a perfect accessory to her outfit. She wore brown wedges and completed the outfit with a blue sapphire necklace that complimented her eyes. She looked perfectly casual, but she was bound to catch every man's eye tonight.

Aqua traipsed down the stairs, her brown handbag thumping her on the back with every step. Before she left, she called a goodbye and thank you to her master. Then she set off for a night to remember.

* * *

"Hey," Terra greeted, lightly touching his date on the shoulder. She greeted him with a beaming smile on her face.

"Hi, Terra. Wow, you look great!"

Terra blushed. "So do you."

Terra took her arm as they ventured down the cobblestone streets of Traverse Town, occasionally entering stores and stopping to window shop. The two wandered aimlessly around Traverse Town for about an hour before Terra stopped to ask, "You want to go get something to eat?"

The girl giggled and laced her fingers through Terra's hand. "Sure, Terra!"

Terra lead the girl down the dimly lit streets, enjoying the nice warm night. She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, hugging her to him.

They stopped at the little café in the first district, right outside of the entrance to the town. Terra pulled a seat out for his date and then sat himself across from her. She smiled and leaned across the table, caressing his face. He caught her hand and went to kiss it, but stopped when he heard a large group of boys hooting and making cat calls. Terra dropped the girl's hand and turned to see what the ruckus was.

He was so not expecting the sight he got.

* * *

_Did I do that? _Aqua thought with a smug smirk as Terra dropped the girl's hand and looked over at her. Aqua kept her eyes fixed on a spot in the distance, figuring the effect would work better if she acted like she never even noticed he was there.

Aqua stood up and leaned across the table, her low cut shirt dipping slightly. She revealed some cleavage, but left much to the imagination. Better to tease them and make the beg than to give it away.

Aqua thought of what her master would say. Surely he would be disappointed in her behavior, for it was very unlike her. She would never in a million years be acting so promiscuous. Unless she was trying to make Terra jealous. Which, at the moment, was exactly what she was trying to do.

In the dim candle light, Aqua whispered something in a blonde boy's ear, which promptly turned red. Terra turned red, too, but for another reason entirely.

Loudly, Aqua breathed, "Let's go somewhere a little more private, shall we?" The boy stood up and nodded, accompanying her to the door. She sashayed while she moved, her hips twitching. She didn't plan on doing anything, just flirting with the boy a bit. Aqua hoped to high Heaven that Terra would come after her.

* * *

"Wow, could she be any more trashy?" Terra's date asked, bringing him out of his reverie. He shook his head, clearing it of thought.

"She's not trashy," Terra stated bluntly. He wasn't trying to offend his date, he was only sticking up for his friend. His very beautiful, mini skirt wearing, head turning friend. Yeah, her.

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, the girl cried, "That's only because you were enjoying the view! Could you have ogled her any more than you did?"

And with that, the girl stood up and slapped Terra across the face, stunning him. She stormed towards the door, but Terra called, "I'll tell my sister you said that."

The girl froze. "That -that girl was your sister?"

Terra nodded. So what if it was a lie? She might as well have been, and teasing his date was beginning to seem like fun idea.

"Oh… Did I say trashy? I - I meant lovely!"

Terra deadpanned. "Really? That's funny. I distinctly heard trashy, and I remember you saying something about me staring? Care to enlighten me?"

The girl's face flushed the color of roses, and she stammered, "I have to go. I need to get home."

Terra almost sighed in relief when the girl walked out. Glancing at his watch, he thought _It's not too late to catch a movie. First, though, I need to find Aqua and tell her to put some clothes on!_

* * *

Aqua giggled, leaning incredibly close to the blonde that was standing next to her. She caressed his chin, mumbling something about how adorable he was. Inwardly, she gagged.

The boy grinned. "You're hot," he stated.

She narrowed her eyes. What was it with boys and calling girls hot? Did they not realize that that did not qualify as a compliment?

"Yeah, and I think you're stupid." Aqua turned on her heel and strutted away, leaving a very confused boy to stare after her retreating form.

Seconds later, he had caught up to her. "Hey!"

Aqua ignored him, her eyes on the distant streetlight. The boy's face darkened as he gripped her arm, swinging her around to face him. "Did you hear me, bitch? I'm talking to you!"

Aqua growled and yanked her arm away. "I heard you, but I don't speak asshole, so I guess you're going to have to find another date."

The man snarled, slapping Aqua across her left cheek. Her eyes flashed red, and her voice dipped dangerously. "You shouldn't hit a girl."

The man laughed darkly. "I think I just did."

That was it! Aqua had had enough of boys and men treating girls like dirt! She spat in the blonde's face and uppercut him, leaving a red mark on him. He staggered backward, rubbing his face.

"Damn-"

"Hey!" a voice called. Aqua spun around, and so did her offender. She smiled in delight at the face of the teen that had come to find her. "What did you say to her?"

The man chuckled viciously and spat, "I called her a bitch. What are you gonna do about-"

Terra planted his fist right in the man's mouth, doing as much damage to the mouth as he did his knuckles. The blonde backed up, feeling around the damage. Terra had cracked a couple teeth - some of which had lodged themselves in Terra's fist - and busted the man's lip open. The guy snarled.

"Who are you, the girl's father?"

Terra sneered, "No, I'm her boyfriend, and you've royally pissed me off."

Aqua raised her eyebrows. Since when was Terra her boyfriend? Oh well, it was effective enough on her pursuer, causing him to back up with his hands palm up.

As if having to get the last word in, the boy said, "Sure, okay buddy. But maybe you should put a leash on her. Or maybe some clothes-"

Terra swung at the man again, catching him in his eye. Finally getting a clue, the guy took off running into the night, leaving Terra and Aqua alone. Terra was heaving heavily, anger apparent on his features.

"Did he hurt you-"

"GIRLFRIEND?"

Aqua froze. It was what she might have asked, and for a second she thought she had. But that voice had definitely not belonged to her.

Terra groaned and slapped his forehead, the curvy figure of a girl appearing behind him, hands on her petite hips. "What the hell happened to sister?"

Aqua crossed her arms. "You told her I was your _sister!"_

Terra moaned and sat down on a bench, throwing an arm across his eyes. "Look, I only told the man I was her boyfriend because I knew it would get him to leave us alone."

"Oh?" Aqua asked. "But you told her I was your sister."

Terra peaked through his fingers at both of the fuming girls. "… You… might as well be?" He asked it more than said it, and that threw Aqua into a rage.

"Fine! You are such an insensitive-"

"Uncaring," the other girl cried.

"Disillusioned," Aqua added.

"Heartbreaking-" Terra's ex date screeched.

"WOMANIZER!" the girls cried together, effectively causing Terra's ears to bleed. He groaned again, and threw his hands to the sky.

"WHY CAN I NEVER WIN!"

* * *

**Poor little Terra. He just can't control his mouth. Or his girl's ;)**

**Review?**


	7. DisinTerrasted

**Okay, I know it's been a while, but I've been really busy and I also had writer's block. Hate when that happens.**

**Well, here's the next chapter, I hope it's good. I tried to make it extra long and special because of the long absense. There's some content, but it's really not rated M. It's more like implied, but I promise Terra nd Aqua never do anything, implied or not. It's more of a joke. Oh well, read and see what I mean.**

**I always feel obligated to add a warning :[**

* * *

Dis-In-Terra-sted – The state of being unattracted to or lacking interest in a brunette teen with a cocky attitude and arrogant smirk.

"Hey Aqua, do you want to go-"

"No."

"Maybe we could catch a-"

"No."

"… Ooh! I know! Let's go to the-"

"No."

"Aw, but Aqua! You and I could go-"

"For the millionth time, Terra: no."

Terra groaned in frustration, raking his hands through his spiky brown hair. He glared at the blue haired teen that sat across from him in the living room. She sat with her feet propped up on the couch and a book in her lap, an intense gaze set upon whatever she was reading.

How could she be so boring and lame? It was a pleasant fall night, leaves were changing color, and the air smelled like pumpkin pie! What in the name of Eraqus would be so dang interesting that she wouldn't do anything with Terra!

And then it hit him.

"Hey Aquamarine, what are you reading over there?" Aqua snapped her head up, a look of disdain crossing her features at Terra's tasteless nickname. But her look of contempt was quickly replaced by a thick red blush that highlighted her cheeks.

Burying her face in her book, Aqua murmured, "Nothing!"

Terra's face elongated into its trademark smirk. Standing up, Terra sauntered over to the blue haired girl and leaned over her shoulder. Aqua promptly pressed the book flush against her chest, the blush quickly spreading as she tried but failed to hide her embarrassment.

"Ooh, Aqua! Are you reading dirty things?" Terra joked, meaning it lightly, a teasing tone in his voice. He knew that his blue haired friend wouldn't be caught dead with naughty literature.

But even so, Terra plucked the book from Aqua's hand. As fate would have it – and at the moment, fate was teasing Aqua – the book opened to a random scene. As Terra scanned the contents printed there, his ears turned red and he felt a little awkward reading the words.

"Er…" Terra mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He felt pretty silly, but then slipped right back into his earlier façade. No way was he going to let Aqua see him flustered. No, he was teasing her first!

"So, Aqua _was_ reading dirty romance!" Terra exclaimed, sounding like an overworked scientist shouting Eureka after a year's worth of fruitless toiling.

Aqua hid her face behind her hands, refusing to look Terra in the eyes. Terra smirked, looking from the book page back to Aqua.

Terra leaned into Aqua's ear, his voice dropping an octave, sounding silky and husky as he breathed, "_He slid his hand up her leg, pausing on her thigh as he claimed her lips once more."_

Aqua cried out in frustration, and Terra tickled her neck with his warm breath. Still using the same husky tone, he asked, "Is that what you're into? Do you like it when I put my hand on your leg?"

Terra, feeling brash, mimicked his words by placing a warm palm down on Aqua's leg. Terra ignored his own nervousness as he played with the hem of her nightgown.

"Oh, Aqua. Do you want me to claim your lips with my own?" Terra was but a mere inch from the girl's face now, his hand still resting dangerously on her upper thigh. He dropped the book from where it was in his other hand, freeing it to rest on the strap of her gown.

He wasn't planning anything, they both knew that. He was teasing her, and that was all. But, as fate was feeling like a mean little jokester that day, Eraqus walked in, catching his apprentices in a compromising position. Terra jerked his head up to see his master staring at the two from behind. Terra's face turned as red as Aqua's as he noticed how provocatively Aqua was seated and dressed, and just where he put his hands. The fact that they looked like they were both about to eat each other's faces off certainly didn't do anything to help their situation. Neither did Terra's dirty talk.

Eraqus cleared his throat, and Terra removed himself from where he loomed above the seated girl. He kept his eyes glued to the floor, while Aqua looked off at some dust bunny in the far reaches of the room. How embarrassing.

"Well, Terra. I understand that you have raging hormones, but please refrain from taking advantage of Aqua on the living room couch. I eat there, you know."

Terra had to work to keep the laughter from filtering through his mouth. He inwardly sighed and outwardly released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Grinning, Terra couldn't help but be grateful that his master understood his humor. It would've been a lot worse if he thought that the two were being serious.

Terra climbed the stairs, heading toward his room. From the living room, he caught Eraqus asking, "So, Aqua, what started that?"

Terra chuckled to himself as Aqua "meeped" and covered her flushed face with her book.

* * *

The frustration continued to grow inside Terra as he flung a bouncy ball at the wall opposite his bed. He waited for it to hit the wall and return to him before he turned over on his bed and sighed. He was so friggin' bored!

He'd already tried to get Aqua to do something with him. For the past week he'd been attempting to engage her in any activity at all, just to get her to interact with him. Every time, she'd engross herself in some other thing, whether that be reading, studying, painting, practicing music, you name it. She hadn't "found the time" to do anything with Terra.

Terra found himself growing more and more curious towards the book he had read the day before. Sneaking into Aqua's room, Terra snatched it from the pale blue dresser beside her blue bed. He ducked out of her room, pausing momentarily to check the hall and see if the coast was clear. After affirming that it was, the brunette dashed across the hall to his own room, which was a stark contrast to the all blue room that Aqua occupied.

Terra's room was one of earthy tones. His floor was made of dark wood, his walls painted a light olive green, and his bed spread a burnt umber. His curtain was the same shad of orange as the bed spread, but had golden and olive green tassels constricting it in their hooks on the wall. His room and Aqua's room could not have been more different.

Terra shut the door to his room and flopped down on the bedspread. He flipped open to the first page of some book named LOVELESS. After fifty pages into it, Terra had collected that some princess girl was engaged to be married to a ruler of a kingdom far, far away. She didn't want to be thrown into an arranged marriage, yada yada yada. She runs away, disgracing the family name. Along the way she met some dude that was supposedly a knight, and they fall in love.

Terra made a retching sound at the predictability of the book. How could girls be into such sappy, cheesy crap?

Another twenty pages into it, and Terra loosened his collar. He closed the blinds and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. Had things suddenly gotten hotter?

No, Terra decided. It was just the book causing him to feel nervous, like he was intruding on something that he shouldn't be. He felt like a kid who'd gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He reread the same four pages, each time just as confused as the last. The princess and the knight elope, and the rest was history. Somehow, each time he read it though, he seemed to get the impression that girls were into cheesy lines. That they actually _liked_ it when a guy proclaimed his undying love for a girl, or told her that she was "the most brilliant star to shine in my sky", Terra just thought that sounded like the guy was a player and he'd just liked what the last girl did the best.

Anyhow, Terra couldn't believe the things he was reading. In the romance scenes, the girl seemed to be extremely attracted to the guy, not wanting to leave his side. She'd go anywhere and do anything with him, if that meant they were together. Terra frowned.

He certainly was no eyesore, but he was not the noble knight with spiky hair the color of the moon and yellow eyes that captivated all that gazed upon him. Terra pulled in frustration at his brown hair. Did Aqua find him… unattractive?

Terra gasped, sitting up in his bed. He'd read the pages over and over again, all the steamy scenes, all the sweet like honey scenes, even all the dirty scenes. And he came to the same conclusion. A girl would not do anything or go anywhere with a man she was disinterested in. Instead, she waited around for dumb old Prince Charming or ran off and eloped with a knight.

Terra actually began to pity the jilted fiancée, abandoned in the old kingdom with nothing but disgrace. Poor guy, Terra thought glumly.

* * *

Terra stormed down the stairs the next morning, grabbing a green apple from the fruit tray and pushing his way past the kitchen and into the hallway, determined to avoid talking to Aqua. He was going to give her a taste of her own medicine!

Eraqus looked up from where he was sipping his dark roast coffee. Slightly put off, he said," Good morning to you, too, Terra."

Terra just grunted in reply, acknowledging his master's presence. Aqua looked up, slightly startled by Terra's odd entrance. She sat down her spoon beside her bowl of cinnamon oatmeal and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Terra ignored the blue haired girl's presence all together and left the house, trudging out to the training field, leaving behind confused Aqua and an amused Eraqus.

Terra slumped into the grass outside, laying back in the dewy green. Biting into his apple, Terra watched the clouds pass by. As much as he enjoyed Aqua being there – he would never wish that she wasn't there with him – he also wished that there was a guy he could talk to. Someone that he could express his anger and frustration and confusion to. Someone that would understand him.

But not someone that could catch Aqua's eye. He had to be younger, Terra thought, nodding his head. It would be okay if he was good looking, but he couldn't be available for Aqua's taking. He had to be shorter than her, and maybe a bit rambunctious. That way, she'd like him for a brother, but Terra could still be her boyfriend-

Terra froze, startling himself out of his musing. He shook his head trying to clear the random thoughts that were tumbling through.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice from behind the brunette. Continuing to cloud gaze, Terra just ignored the voice.

He heard a sigh and the sound of grass moving as Aqua sat beside him. Moments later, she was lying in the grass much like he was, her eyes focused on the clouds as well.

"What's wrong?" Aqua repeated her voice softer. Terra wanted to reply, but he would not betray himself like that. He was determined to stick it out to the end.

Terra began to hum, not bothering with whether or not it was actual tune. Either way, Aqua got the picture.

Huffing, Aqua abruptly jumped up from the ground and dusted herself off. She leaned over Terra, her face a couple feet above his.

Terra raised an eyebrow, as if asking her why in the world she was intruding on his peace, and just what was her issue anyways. He played it off as if he was the victim, throwing Aqua into a rage.

"You know what, Terra? I came out here to see if you were up to training, or maybe watching a movie, but no! You have to act like a jerk!"

Terra leapt up from his spot, his eyes narrowed to slits. "It's your fault."

"_My_ fault!" Aqua exclaimed, her eyes wide. "How dare you?"

Terra clenched his teeth. "For the past freaking week I've been going out of my way to spend time with you. What did you do for a week? Reject me!"

Aqua froze, not really knowing what to say. "I can't help it if I'm a girl."

"What?" Terra asked, his face squinting up in confusion.

Aqua bounced on the balls of her feet. "Yeah, well, you see. Girl's go through this stage, where each m-"

"Whoa! T.M.I.!" Terra shouted, throwing his hands up in an 'I surrender' stance. He shook his head and blew air out of his mouth. If he didn't know about 'the cycle', he knew about it after that dang book.

Terra mumbled to himself as he moved toward the house, groaning about not wanting to know if she was having feminine issues.

Aqua giggled quietly, and Terra turned on her. "Oh, you think it's funny?"

Aqua only nodded, hiding her laughter behind one of her hands. Terra lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. He pinched her sides, causing her to erupt into shoulder-heaving laughter. After a minute of tickling Aqua to the point that she couldn't breathe, Terra released her, sitting back. Aqua glared at him, but couldn't fight off the smile that was threatening to spill over onto her lips.

Terra stood up and offered the blue haired girl his hand, grinning profusely. "How about that movie?"

Aqua smiled and accepted Terra's hand. Smirking, she added, "Thank you, Prince Charming. Oh, but I have to be home by nine, I have a date with a knight."

Terra raised an eyebrow, and turned three shades of crimson as he realized what Aqua had been hinting at. She'd found the book in his room.

Terra played it off, acting mellow as they made their trek back to the house. When they had neared the garden, Terra paused, his eyes on the ground.

Aqua caught the shift in his attitude, picking up on the change immediately. "What's wrong, Terra?"

Terra rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, asking in a whisper, "Do you think I'm… unattractive?"

Aqua, not hearing his whisper, asked, "What was that?"

Terra repeated the question, this time somewhat louder. "Do you find me… unattractive?"

Aqua pursed her lips. "Terra, you do realize that it's what's on the inside that counts, don't you?"

Terra inwardly sighed, thinking, she totally finds me unattractive.

A couple minutes and some small talk later, they had reached the entrance to the house. Terra opened the door and motioned for Aqua to walk in. After flipping through a butt load of DVDs, Terra released a grateful sigh when Aqua chose one.

They watched the movie, and Terra repressed his groans. It was just as cheesy as the book was. He couldn't help but be relieved when the end credits rolled, but Aqua looked unhappy with the ending.

"That was it? He left her at the airport and never came back! What the heck?"

Terra raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding, right? After she cheated on him?"

Aqua crossed her arms defiantly. "You know that it was only a one night stand. She was always in love with the main character guy! You could just tell!"

"Well, _he_ couldn't tell," Terra replied, referring to the man who had left the girl at the airport.

Aqua sighed. "But I sure wish they could've been together."

Terra had to admit, he had wanted that too. Instead, the guy left. But not because the girl had cheated, that was ancient history. He left because he harbored guilt inside of himself for not making her happy enough to begin with. He wanted her to meet someone that would give her undying devotion and loyalty. He didn't trust himself to do that, running from the unknown instead.

Aqua yawned, stretching out like a cat. She got off the couch and began to head to her room, Terra following suit. Just as Terra was about to open his door, Aqua grabbed a hold of his shirt and pressed her lips to his. Caught by surprise, Terra had only a moment to reciprocate before Aqua released him in a breathless daze.

"Damn," Terra swore, trying to rid himself of the smile.

Aqua winked before adding, "Do you think I find you attractive now?" Then she disappeared behind her door, leaving Terra to grin like an idiot, standing alone in the hallway.

When Master Eraqus rounded the corner, he caught sight of Terra staring at Aqua's door, a lovesick look on his face. "I don't even want to know."

* * *

**And so we begin what may or may not be a relationship. Will they pursue it, or will they let their feelings lie dormant until Ven arrives and comes to Terra's rescue?**

**I don't know why, but I just love the idea of cute little Venny trying to set Terra and Aqua up ^-^**

**Review?**


	8. Terrapin

**Okay, for those who don't know, a terrapin is a turtle. If you're wondering where I got the idea for this, it actually happened. In fact, it's the reason my long time crush and I started going out. It had a happier ending than this ;)**

**Kind of short, but I thought that I needed to give yall _something_. I think I only have one or two more chapters before I can bring Ven in.**

* * *

_Terra-pin – A flying turtle projectile that, despite being fluffy, can cause black eyes and severe pain_

"OOOWWWW!" Terra screeched, his knees giving out as he crumpled to the ground. He clutched himself, his face contorted in pain. Aqua stifled a giggle.

"Oh, Terra, man up," she slurred, her eyes glinting mirthfully.

Terra snapped his head up to glare daggers at her. "You think it's funny, huh?"

Aqua nodded, her giggles sliding through the fingers splayed over her mouth, the attempt to quiet her laughter futile. She watched Terra writhe on the couch in agony.

Terra strained forward, his thighs pressed against each other as if that would help the pain subside. How had he been reduced to nothing more than a moaning mess? A book. Aqua's book, to be exact.

Yes, the sapphire-haired teen had flung her book towards the couch, not realizing that Terra sat there, minding his own business.

Funny coincidence, Terra thought, that she managed to hit his crotch dead on. Very funny.

Terra, finally having enough of the girl's antics, cried, "Well, what if I threw this turtle at your breasts?"

Aqua froze, eyeing the sparkly pink turtle that Terra had bought her when he took her to the aquarium for her birthday. "You wouldn't."

Terra glanced at the stuffed turtle, deciding it could do no harm, and flung it at Aqua's chest. He _thought_ he had good aim. He _thought_ it wouldn't hurt. He _thought_ it would be funny.

Seconds after impact, Aqua clutched at her face, tears swimming at the base of her eyes. Terra's heart stopped. "Aqua?"

"You… you hit me in the eye!" Aqua cried, doing her best to hold the tears at bay. The pain in her cheek and around her eye socket was excruciating, and even she could not understand how something like a fluffy turtle had hurt so much.

But Terra was strong, and somehow, fate decided that the point of impact would be Aqua's eye and the turtle's eye. Unfortunately, the turtle did not have fluffy cloth eyes, but hard plastic ones roughly the size of a fist.

Terra watched her helplessly, his hand outstretched. What he was reaching for, he didn't know. "Aqua, it couldn't have hurt that bad. It's a stuffed turtle."

"But the plastic hit me in the eye," Aqua explained, still rubbing at the tender skin. Skin that was turning brownish-blue, Terra noted guiltily.

Aqua jumped up from the couch, running in the direction of her room. She really did not want Terra to see her cry, for she'd endured worse during practice. What hurt her most was that he had done it with the intention of hurting her in the first place. He hadn't meant to give her a black eye – one look in her mirror and Aqua could determine the blotchiness would lead to a bruise around her left eye – but he had thrown it at her breasts.

Aqua sat at her vanity, examining the purple flesh that stung when she pressed her fingers to it. For a stuffed animal, it had done some damage. She watched as the red faded into purple, the perfect shape of a circle beginning right at her cheek bone and ending below her brow line.

A knock at her door caused her to sober up, wiping the tears from her eyes, but gently when she did so to the left. She glanced at the door, wondering if she should open it.

"Aqua?" The girl breathed a sigh of relief, the voice belonging to her master.

"Come in." The door opened to reveal a tired looking man in sleeping robes. Obviously, the quarrel in the living room had awakened the man from his slumber, the time being around midnight.

Eraqus examined Aqua's black eye, tilting her head to see better. He moved the pads of his fingers across the tender skin, eliciting a hiss from the girl.

"What happened?" Master Eraqus asked, knowing that Terra would never hit the girl, but wondering what caused the event.

"Terra threw a turtle at me," Aqua muttered miserably, resting her chin on one hand.

Master Eraqus raised one eyebrow. "A… turtle?"

Aqua's mouth quirked up in a smile as she elaborated, "The stuffed one he bought me at the aquarium."

"Oh," Master Eraqus replied. "Why did he throw it at you?"

"Because I accidentally hit him in the crotch with my book." Aqua, noticing her master's look of confusion, added, "I flung it on the couch , but I didn't realize he was sitting there. And then I laughed and told him to stop whining, and he threw the turtle, meaning to hit me in the breast."

Master Eraqus nodded, his eyebrows furrowed. "I see. Well, is there something you would like me to say to him?"

Aqua shook her head. "No. Thank you, though. I think I'll talk to him later."

Master Eraqus nodded, retreating from Aqua's bedroom. The girl sighed, picking herself up off the stool and depositing her body on her bed, gazing at the rain patterns sewn in blue.

She crossed her arms and rested her head atop them, mindful of her black eye. She wondered if Terra felt bad. She knew he did.

* * *

"Damn it!" Terra cursed, pacing the living room. "I can't go apologize, that's too fake. I need to let her know that I'm sorry. I need to show her."

But how? Confess that he was trying to show off for her? Tell her that she wounded his male pride and he'd only been trying to recover it? That it was his indirect way of flirting with her?

Yeah, she'd love to hear those excuses.

Terra slumped onto the couch, running his hands through his hair. "What am I going to do?"

A noise echoed into the living room from the kitchen, and Terra dismissed it, knowing that it was only the ice maker in the fridge.

"That's it!" Terra cried. "I'll bring her some ice. Hopefully, she'll forgive me."

Terra raced toward the kitchen, sliding across the tile floor until he arrived in front of the fridge. He pulled out a plastic bag and pressed the lever down, watching as chunks of frozen liquid cascaded into the clear pouch. When the bag filled with ice completely, Terra made his way to Aqua's room.

Terra knocked, waiting for a reply. None came.

"Aqua, are you in there?" Terra asked, uncertainty ringing in his voice.

"No," came the immediate reply. Terra resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Aqua, I'm going to come in." Terra grabbed the doorknob, twisting the gold orb and swinging the white wood door open. Aqua sat up in her bed, glaring at the brunette's intrusion. Terra gulped when he noticed the thick brown ring around the girl's left eye.

"I brought you some ice?" Terra stated, though it came out as more of a question. Feebly, he held up the zipper bag full of the frozen ice chunks, motioning for Aqua to come and get it.

Aqua pushed her blue duvet aside, her feet padding across the floor as she snatched the bag away from the boy and returned to her bed. Terra moved to stand beside her.

"Aqua, I'm-"

"Don't say you're sorry. I don't want to listen to your guilt."

Terra swallowed thickly and sat down on the edge of the bed. He cupped Aqua's chin, turning her to face him. Gently, he caressed the bruised flesh, hating the way it made her eyes look red. Or maybe she'd been crying.

Either way, it was his fault.

"Aqua, let me finish." Aqua sighed, her way of letting Terra know to go on.

"I was trying to impress you. I really like you… as more than a friend, I mean."

Aqua's cerulean eyes widened as Terra's words sunk in. "You like me?"

Terra nodded. "But I didn't want to tell you. I don't want it to ruin our friendship."

Aqua smiled, wanting to tell Terra how she felt, too. Instead, she replied, "It's okay, Terra. I know you're sorry. And, maybe it would ruin our friendship. Maybe it's best to leave it alone."

Terra felt a pang in his chest, and he thought, _She doesn't like me._

"Right," Terra answered, trying to hide the dejected feeling in his voice, though his eyes gave away the crestfallen emotions that his voice hid.

Terra stood up abruptly, pulling his hand away from Aqua's face. He suddenly seemed very cold and distant, causing Aqua to shudder.

"Terra," she called miserably, but Terra held a hand up.

"No, I get it. Don't try to lead me on, Aqua. I can take a hint." Terra's voice had held so much misery when he spoke, that tears once again sprang to life in Aqua's eyes.

"Wait, Terra!" Aqua clambered out of her bed so fast that she almost tripped on her comforter, barely having time to catch herself. She stumbled towards Terra, the brunette already having thrown her door open.

Aqua grasped at his hand, pleading, "Terra, let me explain."

Terra yanked his hand away and slammed the door in the girl's face, leaving her to slide against the cold wood frame, the tears she willed away previously finally released as she sobbed for her friend to come back.

* * *

**Maybe a bit ooc, but I had to for it to follow what actually happened. My life is so weird.**

**Anyways, what happened after the guy gave me a black eye is, my sis got me ice, his brother called him an ass, and I went to my room in our cabin. At about one in the morning, he texts me - he has the room above me in our cabin - and he's all, "I was trying to impress you. I really like you and you're the sweetest girl I know, but I didn't want to tell you until after vacation because we're best friends."**

**Needless to say, we started going out. And then I broke it off with him two days before the end of our trip.**


	9. InTerraNal

**I really do not have time for this D: But someone insisted, so here it is. I didn't have time to proofread, so bare with me.**

* * *

InTerraNal – Pertaining to the inner emotions and thoughts of a confused brunette

Two weeks, Terra thought, it had been two weeks since he and Aqua had last "talked". Sure, there had been the occasional trading of 'Good morning's', or 'The Master would like to see you', but the conversations stopped there. Aqua and Terra had barely uttered more than a couple of sentences in the entirety of their separation.

Master Eraqus noticed the odd silence between the two, and deciding that the two had parted on less than pleasant terms, set out to fix the awkward distance between the pair. How he would go about bridging the gap, Eraqus was not sure.

Enter Ventus, the lively, free-spirited, riotous boy. And who better to bring the distant apprentices together than a bright, bubbly, scheming brother-figure?

"Good morning!" chirped a happy voice, the figure of a half-asleep teen bounding down the stairs.

Aqua stopped stirring the pot of porridge on the stove long enough to hug the blonde boy and greet, "Good morning, Ven? It's almost ten!"

A large frame lumbered into the kitchen, brown spikes tousled from sleep. "Ven, ten in the morning is perfectly acceptable for breakfast time. It's morning, and don't let anyone tell you differently."

It didn't escape Aqua that Terra had pointedly not greeted her or spoken to her, but opted to speak to the young boy instead. A sharp pain struck her heart as she reflected on the past few weeks, where she tried in vain to speak with her childhood friend, but to no avail. Everything they'd had before, seemed to be gone.

The blue haired girl wiped a traitorous tear from her eye before resuming her work of the porridge. She stirred the mix slowly, watching the thick yellow substance swirl around in the bowl.

Across the room, the Earthen Warrior followed her every move, from the subtle sway of her hips, to the way she bounced one leg - a nervous habit of hers- , to the hand that made swift work to destroy the lone tear that slid down her cheek. Terra wondered about that tear.

"Something smells delicious," Master Eraqus stated, seating himself beside Terra. Inwardly, Ven spazzed, realizing that the only seat left was the one to Master's right, between Master Eraqus and Ven himself. If Ven was going to bring the two back together, he had to act fast.

"Aqua, let me set the table for you!"

Aqua spun around to smile at the young boy who was always willing to lend a hand. "Thank you, Ven, I would appreciate that."

Ven smirked as he pulled plates out of a cabinet and then scooped silverware out of a drawer. He made his way around the large table, setting a plate down with matching silverware at each of the spots. When he had finished, he skipped over the chair he had been sitting at and placed himself closer to Eraqus, the latter raising an eyebrow as he wondered what shenanigans the boy was up to this time. Ven merely winked, discreetly pointing at Aqua and to the now unoccupied spot beside Terra. Master Eraqus smirked.

"Well," began Eraqus, a twinkle in his eye as he threw a knowing look at Ven, "I have business to attend to. I'll be taking my breakfast with me to my study."

Ven grinned lazily at the older man and added, "Ooh! I'll go help! You said you needed help organizing your tomes, right?"

Eraqus merely nodded and exited the kitchen gracefully, the younger boy following suit in a much less graceful manner. Aqua turned to Terra, almost making a point to mention that never would Ven offer to sift through books unless he had an ulterior motive, but she stopped herself, as that would be joking, and she did not feel like talking to Terra.

Terra had entertained similar thoughts, and also closed his mouth stop any communication with Aqua that was _truly unnecessary._ He made a huffing noise and bit into a biscuit, chewing it exaggeratedly and smacking, knowing fully how the sound grated on Aqua's nerves. As she took her seat at the table, Terra could see her eye twitch with every mouthful of breakfast he took. _Oh yeah, Aqua, you know you want to say something. Go on, make the first move, tell me how much I'm pissing you off._

But Aqua held strong, lifting her chin slightly higher and raising a glass of cranberry juice daintily to her lips, taking a long swig of the drink and placing it on the table. _You will not stoop to his level, you will not stoop to his level._

Meanwhile in Eraqus's office:

"Ventus, did you not tell Terra and Aqua that you would help me organize these tomes?"

"But Maaasssttteeerr, you know I was only trying to get them to open their eyes!"

"Ventus, meddling with the affairs of others will only get you in trouble. Now start alphabetizing."

"…Yes, Master."

"Oh, and Ventus?"

"Yes, Master Eraqus?"

"This plan better work."

* * *

Aqua stared down at her pancakes, trying hard not to let the disappointment show on her face. She glanced up, catching the smirk on the brunette's face as he drowned his waffles in the molasses. He placed the syrup back on the table, directly in front of him.

The blue-haired mage eyed the syrup disdainfully. If she asked him for the syrup, he'd win. If she reached across the table for the syrup, he'd win. If she ate her pancakes without syrup, she'd win.

Stalemate.

Aqua bit her lip, bouncing her knees slightly. Terra narrowed his eyes. They both waited to see what she would do. Sighing, Aqua turned her head and whispered, "What are we doing this for?"

Terra leaned back in his chair. "What, eating breakfast? For energy and nutrition, so that our cells will be able to function and carry blood, oxygen, and other necessities to and from our vital organs to various parts of our body."

Aqua glanced at him, deadpanning. "Terra, stop it. I'm being serious. What are we doing _this_ for? Why are we fighting? After all that we've been through?"

Terra eyed her, his head turned to the side. Slowly, he got up from the table, tossing his food in the trash and placing his plate in the sink. "Because you couldn't find a better way of turning me down. I think you made it clear."

"A better way to turn you down!? Terra, I said that I didn't want to ruin our friendship! And it caused just that, look at us! Would you have rather I said that I detest you in every way, shape, and form? That the sight of you makes me cringe?" As Aqua spoke the words, Terra's face flinched. Immediately, she threw her hands to her mouth. She'd only been giving examples, she hadn't meant them.

"Terra, I – I didn't mean… I mean, I was trying to say-"

"Just stop." The pain in Terra's chest grew tenfold with every word Aqua said, and he could bare to look at her no longer. His eyes brimmed with a sadness that made Aqua want to hide beneath a desk.

"Terra, I'm so sorry," Aqua whispered, holding a hand to her heart. Terra brushed past Aqua wordlessly, heading straight for the training field. Aqua bit back tears and stood up from the table, making her way to her room. As luck would have it, Ven reemerged from the Master's study and caught the sight of the trembling girl.

"Oh, Aqua! What happened?" Aqua shook her head, covering her mouth to hide her sobs. Ven opened his arms and the girl ran to him, accepting his embrace.

"I messed up, Ven! I tried to talk things out with him, but I always ruin things! I never can say things right! I end up wording things wrong every time."

Ven released his friend and stepped back. "I'll talk to Terra."

Aqua smiled at the younger boy. "Thank you, Ven."

* * *

"But she kissed me, Ven! She frickin' kissed me and asked me if I thought that she thought that she found me attractive! And then – and this takes the cake, really, it does – she tells me that she detests me and the sight of me makes her cringe! Is she trying to toy with my emotions? 'Cause it's working!"

Ven watched Terra pace with mild amusement, though the older boy could not figure out what about his situation was so funny.

"Ven, she's a tease."

Ven smirked. _Not a tease, Terra. Just a fool in love._

* * *

**Short, but I had to get it out. I noticed in the game that Aqua has a really bad way with words, so I thought I'd incorporate that here. I also think that she's thought of as the mother figure, but she needs comfort every now and then, too :) **

**As always, leave a review, please, and I'll try to update some.**


	10. InTerraVention

**After making you guys wait so long, here it is! I promised a Valentine's update, and well, it's still evening here!**

**Hope you guys enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I sure wish I owned FF7.**

* * *

InTerraVention – A noun meaning to intervene or intentionally force oneself into another's affairs, especially to make a change on one's current situation, and most likely involving a scheming young boy's act of fixing a certain brunette's current love life.

The next week went by uneventfully, but it seemed that the war between Terra and Aqua had only just begun. The air turned much colder when the two were in the same room, and there were no more offers of "Good morning." The two refused to even look at each other. Ven would not stand for this.

"Terra, will you go tell Aqua that master said that dinner is ready?" Ven gazed at Terra with hopeful eyes, but the brute only flipped to another channel on the television.

"Ven, the master obviously told you, so that you would go tell her. Don't push your work on me."

Ven huffed, flinging himself from the couch and making his way towards Aqua's room. "I swear, Terra better be glad I'm here. If it weren't for me, those two would keep on fighting with each other. But alas, Ven is here to save the day!"

Ven's mumbling quieted as he neared Aqua's room. He could hear the sound of clothes rustling in a closet and perfume spraying. _Typical girls,_ thought Ven as he rolled his eyes.

Ven knocked lightly on Aqua's door and called, "Aqua, Master E said that dinner's ready!"

"Thank you, Ven!" Aqua opened the door and greeted said boy with a dazzling smile and a hug. Ven felt taken aback at the beauty that was the blue-haired mage. A brilliant idea hit him.

As he made his way to the kitchen, Master Eraqus was immediately alarmed by the scheming smirk on the blonde boy's face. He drew Ventus aside and whispered, "What are you up to now?"

Ven grinned. "Watch this, Master E!"

Before the master could stop him, Ven had swung around and knocked the entire pot of stew to the ground, spilling the contents across the floor that only earlier Aqua had washed to a pristine shine. The look on the master's face was enough to cause Ven to freeze up, but he held on to his plan.

"Ven, you are to clean this mess up immediately!" Master Eraqus shouted.

Ven grinned. "Thank you, Master Eraqus – I mean, sorry, Sir!"

The Master gave Ven a curious look and then glanced up to see his other two apprentices, both sporting a look of bewilderment.

Ven hid his smile as he asked, "Well, what are you guys gonna do for dinner? I have to stay home and clean, and you can't go hungry!"

Eraqus lifted a finger to his chin. "Hmm, this is true. Why don't we go out for dinner? We can all visit a new land and get something to eat."

Ven shook his head. "Oh, no, Master! You have to stay here! There are – uh – uh – monsters! You can't leave me here all by myself with the monsters!"

"Monsters? Ventus, really?"

"Yeah, I saw some out in the north pasture!"

Master Eraqus sighed. "Well, if you say so, I must investigate at once."

"But don't let us ruin your fun!" Ven piped, smiling at Aqua and Terra. "You two should go out and get something good!"

Aqua nodded at Ven, but ignored Terra completely as she accepted munny from Master Eraqus for their dinner. "Thank you, I'll see you later."

* * *

She and Terra remained silent until they reached their destination. The two didn't even acknowledge each other when they walked into a little bistro at the heart of the land. When they were seated, their gazes never met. They didn't so much as comment when the waiter remarked about their being a lovely couple.

"I'll have the house salad, please," Aqua quipped as she handed the waiter her menu.

She briefly heard Terra mutter, "I'll have what she's having," and wondered if it was a sign that Terra was giving up the fight.

Sighing, Aqua whispered, "Terra?"

Terra glanced up, but it was enough. Just the fact that he was looking at her told Aqua that he was trying to work things out with her.

"Can I explain?"

"What is there to explain, Aqua? You rejected me and then proceeded later to tell me every reason why. I think you've explained."

Aqua hung her head, glancing around the restaurant. She caught an elderly couple at a table, both smiling happily at each other as they ate their meals, hands intertwined. She could only hope her love life would end as well as theirs.

"But I haven't explained, not really." Aqua looked up again, staring Terra in the eye with a determined set to her face. "I… have a really bad way with words."

Terra grunted, mirth in his eyes, and it made Aqua's heart soar. "So I've noticed."

"What I've been trying to say – and not accomplishing – is that I'm sorry. I never meant to just turn you down. I wish that this were easier."

"What are you trying to say?" Terra whispered, but the tone wasn't incredulous, only understanding. His blue eyes assessed her not quite warmly, but not distantly either.

Aqua smiled and reached for the brute's hand, tracing her fingers over his rough palms. "Let's stop fighting, Terra. For the Master's sake, for Ven's sake, but most importantly, for our own."

Terra smiled and laced his fingers through Aqua's. "Agreed."

The rest of their dinner was spent in casual conversation. The two laughed much as they had prior to their fight and acted as if the transgressions had never occurred. When they got up to leave, the two remained holding hands.

* * *

By the time they had returned, Ventus had cleaned the mess off of the tile and was being severely scolded by their Master for lying about the existence of monsters in the north pasture.

Aqua and Terra smiled at the sight, and Aqua said softly, "Goodnight, everyone."

She then proceeded to embrace Terra and kiss his cheek as he responded, "Goodnight, Aqua."

The mage pulled away, albeit unwillingly from the brute and went to her room to retire for the night. Terra smiled as he sat down at the kitchen table, watching the master pick Ven's jaw up from off the floor.

"I take it things went well," Master Eraqus stated. Terra nodded, but could not conceal his smile.

Ven smiled inwardly, thinking, _I'm just too good!_

* * *

**I'm playing on the Aqua has a bad way with words ;) I mean, really, could she not have told him she was spying on him in Radient Garden XD**

**Hope ya'll liked it, and I'll try to start updating again like a good little person :D Until then, hope you enjoyed, and please review!**


	11. InTerragation

**Okay, I promised a St. Patrick's Day update - and here it is! Thank you to my awesome reviewers, especially TerraKH because every time I thought of just giving up this story, I'd remember how you always used to bug me about it, and I figured that that would so be cruel - so I kept on writing for you! I dedicate Terra - A Noun Meaning Chaos to you!**

**Heads up, I think this chapter is slightly on the graphic side... I don't know if it should be rated M, it's certainly not explicit, but there are some themes in it. Nothing happens, I promise.**

**Disclaimer - If I owned Kingdom Hearts, VINCENT VALENTINE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FREAKING GAME! Grr, not some designer knock-off Cloud who _thinks_ he can pull of the cloak and Chaos wing.**

* * *

InTerragation – The act of subjecting a certain brunette to intense questioning, especially of the suspicious kind

The room's walls seemed to close in and trap Terra, suffocating him in the almost claustrophobic chamber. If he reached out with his arm, he could surely put one hand against each wall and only have enough room for the width of his shoulders.

He knew, of course, that the room had not shrunk, was not growing smaller and caging him in like a rabid creature anxious to break out. Even so, his heart felt like a beast, confined and growing steadily more prepared to snap as it lurked at the bottom of its crate, waiting for the correct time to pounce.

The lethal poison within his veins, the toxin that drove him nearer to the brink, brought at once feelings of unnatural adrenaline and blissful release, like the breaking of a padlock to set this beast within him free from his suspended state of captivity. On the downside, it left him hungry, the creäture inside craving more of the tempting blood-soaked meat. He could never escape this blood-lust like thirst for the encompassing power, and the crash he received after his partaking in the forbidden fruit caused his heart to ache in shame.

This darkness within.

When first the craving crept into his throat, he'd been watching the mage fight, her locks of steel-blue hair swaying gently with each graceful twirl of her lithe form, each swing of her perilous keyblade she maneuvered through. His rationale faded, and pure, criminal desire began to overtake him. He'd leered at her from the shadows, twitching with the want to snatch her from her tantalizing dance with her weapon and steal back into the shadows, leaving no evidence that she had ever been there in the first place. What he planned to do after he'd had her enslaved, even he could not say for sure.

Slowly though, he emerged from the hazy state, not knowing where he'd even gone, of how he'd managed to end up knocked down on the ground, the azure-eyed keyblade wielder straddling his hips with her blade against his throat, threatening to crush his windpipe if he made another move against her.

"A-Aqua?" he managed through the ringing in his ears. He felt like he'd been thrown against a wall, and maybe taken a couple of shots to his manhood. "What – what happened?"

The girl narrowed her eyes, skeptical of his words. "You tell me," she almost spat.

"I don't know," he confessed. "I can't remember…"

Aqua remained holding his hips down, but she removed the keyblade from its spot at his neck, and he rubbed the sore area. She regarded him dubiously, not knowing how to respond. At length, she explained, "I was practicing, and you jumped out of nowhere. You pinned me down, and you had this malevolent gleam in your eyes – and they were yellow. I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed my keyblade and slammed it into the back of your head."

"My eyes were yellow?" Terra asked, his voice troubled. He watched as Aqua nodded.

"Terra – what's going on?"

Shrugging defensively, he retorted, "Don't look at me, I have no clue! I felt like- no, nevermind."

"Like what!?" Aqua demanded, peering into his eyes with her own narrowed.

"Like something took over me," Terra confessed reluctantly. He used his elbows to prop his top half up. His face was inches from Aqua's, and her breath caught as he moved closer to her. "Like I couldn't resist you…"

He pressed his lips to hers and heard her sigh slightly, enjoying the feeling of their mouths moving against each other's. Sliding his hands to her hips, he pulled her flush against him, groaning when his tongue slipped into her mouth and slid around to taste her.

Aqua's eyes snapped open when he moved her to sit atop his burning-hot pelvis, and she quickly shoved him back, wiping her mouth. She climbed off of him and crawled backwards, gasping and eyeing him incredulously. "Ter-Terra!"

He opened his eyes slowly, and caught the slight trembling of her shoulders. He smirked at her, knowing that he had gotten her excited. His eyes flashed from yellow to cobalt, and back, remaining the golden-hue filled with secrets and promises of sinful play.

"Aqua," he hissed, still grinning at her like a fox. Her chest heaved in slight fear as she scrambled to get off the ground and reach for her keyblade. In a flash, he had it in his clutches and was turning it this way and that, making a show of inspecting it. At length, he tossed it to the side and regarded her again, purring lowly, "Now now, Aqua, you wouldn't want to hurt _me_, would you?"

He took a few sauntering steps toward her, and she backed up, hitting the wall of the house with her back. Terrified and with nowhere to run, she tore her gaze from his, refusing to let their eyes meet. With a growl, he gripped her chin and yanked her head to face him, locking their gazes.

Licking his lips, he teased, "Don't you want to play with me, Aqua? " He ran a finger down her neck, stopping at the pendant on her chest and pulling it mischievously. "We used to always play when we were little…"

"Not like this!" Aqua bit back, gritting her teeth. She scratched at Terra's face, leaving angry-looking red slashes along his cheek bone. Enraged, he snatched her offending hand and held it to his face, observing it. His scowl morphed into another twisted grin, and his tongue snuck out to flick at her fingers, coating them in his saliva.

"Stop it!" she cried, snatching her hand away and holding it to her chest, trying to ignore the slight butterflies he was giving her. "Snap out of it, Terra! This isn't you!"

"It is, though," he whispered against the shell of her ear, pressing himself against her toned body so that she could feel every muscle of him, every bit of him. "It's the real Terra…"

"No – it's – not!" she gasped, punctuating each word with a shove to his shoulders. Tears began to fill her eyes and she pleaded, "Let me go, Terra! Don't do this!"

"Do what?" he inquired, taunting her as he slid his hand down her leg and fingered the knee-high stocking, running his nails along her thigh. He almost groaned at the quivering of her form, taking pleasure in her fear.

"I'll scream for Master and Ven!" she threatened, still vainly trying to escape his grasp.

"You wouldn't," he snapped, no longer in a playful mood, but dead serious as his wish to play with his meal vanished and was replaced with the need devour it whole before it got away.

"You know I would." Her gaze leveled with his, blue against gold. With a cry, he captured her lips again, destroying the chance for her to scream. He chuckled darkly against her mouth, plundering its depths as his eyes rolled back into his head, overcome with the thrilling pleasure he was taking from her.

"Terra – Terra! Terra!"

Sitting up, the brunette gasped, finding himself face to face with a sweat-drenched Aqua. She wiped the salty water from her hairline and smiled at him, cocking her head.

"Wake up, sleepy-head! You came out to watch me practice, remember? You fell asleep an hour ago, and Master told me to come wake you up so that you can eat dinner. But first, I need a shower!"

He groaned, not needing to even allow that thought near his subconscious. She giggled, thinking his sound of frustration was from her waking him up. She reached out a hand and he took it, allowing her to pull him up. He couldn't make eye contact with her, too ashamed of the things he had just been dreaming.

"Is something wrong?" Aqua inquired, stopping and trying to meet his gaze.

"Nah," he answered half-heartedly.

"Yes, there is." Aqua put her hands on her hips, for she knew exactly when her friends were not feeling like themselves, much to Terra's dismay.

Shrugging, he replied, "I had nightmare."

"What was it about?" she asked automatically. He narrowed his still –thankfully – blue eyes at her.

"What is this, twenty questions?" The icy tone in his voice made the mage cross her arms.

"Terra, you stop acting like that right this minute. I'm just trying to find out what's wrong, so don't you take that tone of voice with me, mister." With her sassy attitude and cocked hip, he found himself growing more and more worried that he would be incapable of resisting her again.

Hurriedly, he responded, "I'm sorry, Aqua. I'm just grouchy because I haven't eaten. How about I see you at dinner?" She accepted that and nodded, turning to her room when they entered. Sighing in relief, Terra ran a hand through his hair.

"I am a beast at bay."

* * *

**Okay, here I'm delving into the depths of Dark-Terra! I know, it was a little bit - er - sexual. But whatevs, I think it fit ;) Anyways, after spending so much time writing my Yuffentine story, and then its sequel, I've noticed that my writing's improved. What do you think? **

**I hope you enjoyed, and I'll try to have another update by April, or at least in April. Monthly updates don't sound too bad, compared to my lack of updating for almost three months. **

**By the way, did anyone catch the _The Most Dangerous Game_ reference? Kudos if you did!**

**Please review!**


	12. Terrafying

**This was hard to write. I'm drained from my stupid research paper XP But, I got it done, finally. I'm not sure I like this chap, in fact, I think it's kind of crappy, but it's time to stop putting it off. Hopefully, my writer's block will go away soon.**

_**NOTE! TERRA DID NOT DO ANYTHING - er - inappropriate in the last chap. It was not intended that he used Aqua for any pleasuring of himself. Just thought I'd throw that out there**_** ;)**

**BTW:**** I'm running out of words with Terra in them...**

**Disclaimer: This is stupid, but - I don't own KH, never have, and I'm guessing that I never will.**

* * *

Terra-fying – An adjective used to describe a situation in which one loveable yet wayward brunette finds himself spiraling out of control.

His lungs screamed for air.

_Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery…_

His head pounded mercilessly.

_Not one, but two of the Keyblade's chosen stand here as candidates, but this is neither a competition, nor a battle for supremacy, not a test of wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither…_

His body twitched in agony.

_But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort, did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the mark…_

His heart constricted.

_I trust you are ready. – (No!) "Yes…"_

Dementedly, his mind succumbed to the void.

_Then let the examination begin…_

That dark abyss returned, he'd felt once more that fiery ire that sparked and flickered until his world ignited and burst into tendrils of red hot rage and spiteful fury. Those feelings of encompassing power and dominance flooded back into him like a typhoon of evil, washing away rationale and submerging his sanity beneath the murky depths of twisted lies and vicious anguish.

_We have deliberated and reached a decision. Terra, Aqua, you both performed commendably, however, only Aqua has shown the Mark of Mastery. Terra, you failed to keep the darkness within you sufficiently in check, but there is always next time…_

His darkness – where _had_ it come from? Deep within his heart, assumingly. Deep within his being, his core, his soul. He was the darkness.

He had to leave – for them, and for himself. And for Aqua, whom he couldn't trust himself around, not anymore. The darkness in him surfaced most around her, like her light eclipsed him and sent him further into the darkness. He would leave and come back a changed man.

He could not have foreseen such a drastic change, however. For the future held a true metamorphosis – he came back a changed man, that much was certain. He came back Ansem, his body Xehanort's, his mind somewhat gone, his will broken. He became Ansem, and then Ansem Seeker of Darkness, and then the Nobody Xemnas. In the end, he'd be changed.

But he'd find a way to survive no matter what. If not for himself, then for her…

* * *

The anger he that raged within his veins fueled him, driving him forward toward an unforeseen end. The rider sliced through the onyx, sapphire, and diamond sky, splitting the heavens in two as the star-racer zoomed past the worlds around him, his focus dead ahead. He was unsure of where he intended to go, but nothing mattered aside from the howling and the zip-zip-zip of the wind and his machine, both crying out as speed and ire tangled to form a vicious mass of weightlessness and sparking metal.

Muddled were his thoughts, as thoroughly indiscernible as the blur of blue, white, green, orange, yellow, red, purple – all things thrown together into one vast universe and set upon a fixed orbit. But as he flew through the sky, the planets collided in his murky vision, tangled into each other and formed a splatter-paint canvas, he the lone streak of some awkward hue not meant to exist on the same image, not meant to truly exist anywhere, yet he found himself everywhere. The artist, he believed, had an eye for detail, for twisting the plot with each slight stroke of the brush upon the picture. The maker of the work warped the rider's life with every dip of the brush into a new color. This unseen but all-seeing painter knew nothing of what his daubing did, yet knew it all too well. He fixed the earthen knight to exist as the focal point of image, all eyes drawn to the awkward little smear in the great vast whirlwind of color. Everyone watched him, waiting to see what he would do.

He did not know it yet, racing through the diamonds, sapphires, and onyx, but his brushstroke would forever alter the course of the universe, throwing the planets out of alignment, causing the stars to explode, and sending the universe into eternal darkness.

The earthen knight could not escape the painter's hand, for he was but a puppet, and fate, the puppeteer. Try as he might, and try he would, the brute would ultimately meet his end staring into the cold eyes of the man he hated, the man with the paintbrush.

But the mage, her hues all blue and graceful like the waves of the ocean's crest, would step in and alter fate herself. She would be the one to shred the canvas to pieces, rip apart everything to save the knight. And in the end, she would sacrifice herself for him, and he would spend forever as the slave of fate, the slave of the golden-eyed man who continued to paint the universe shades of black.

When all would be said and done, together, the knight, the mage, and the boy of speed would join hands with the forces that embarked to save them, and they would paint a new picture, one of joy, of happiness, harmony, and light.

* * *

When Terra slid off his rider, he glanced around at the setting beyond him. The entire dominion seemed asleep, waiting for some incident to wake it up from the boring life it lived. With a frown, the brunette ran a hand through his spiky hair and began towards the castle, assuming it to be as good a place as any on his search for enlightenment.

"What's this… Why aren't you asleep, boy?"

Terra gazed into the eyes of an ominously calculating woman. And he began his journey into the darkness.

* * *

**I hope you all liked it more than I did. I did really try hard, but I've got bad writer's block and burn out - and look, I'm making excuses again. I think it's what I'm best at :/ Sorry guys, I'm trying to do better. I want school to be out! **


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